Elon Musk is a person that forces us to ask the timeless query first put to us by graphic novelist Alan Moore; who watches the watchers? The New York Instances as a terrific breakdown of all of the harm this overpowered and over-wealthy particular person might have ought to Trump each take the White Home and preserve his promise to place his rich donor able of energy.
Musk is probably the most rich particular person on the planet — most likely in all of human historical past — which already offers him an virtually limitless quantity of energy. He’s additionally had a ton of run-ins with regulatory our bodies, from the Securities and Change Fee to the Environmental Safety Company and now the Nationwide Freeway Security Administration. Now that he’s full-throat backing Trump nonetheless, even the weak federal checks on his machinations might quickly go by the wayside:
Elon Musk’s affect over the federal authorities is extraordinary, and terribly profitable.
Mr. Musk’s rocket firm, SpaceX, successfully dictates NASA’s rocket launch schedule. The Protection Division depends on him to get most of its satellites to orbit. His corporations have been promised $3 billion throughout practically 100 completely different contracts final 12 months with 17 federal companies.
His entanglements with federal regulators are additionally quite a few and adversarial. His corporations have been focused in not less than 20 current investigations or opinions, together with over the security of his Tesla automobiles and the environmental harm brought on by his rockets.
Given Mr. Musk’s immense enterprise footprint, he will probably be a significant participant irrespective of who wins the election.
However he has thrown his fortune and energy behind former President Donald J. Trump and, in return, Mr. Trump has vowed to make Mr. Musk head of a brand new “authorities effectivity fee” with the ability to advocate wide-ranging cuts at federal companies and adjustments to federal guidelines.
That might basically give the world’s richest man and a significant authorities contractor the ability to manage the regulators who maintain sway over his corporations, amounting to a doubtlessly huge battle of curiosity.
Via a overview of courtroom filings, regulatory dockets and authorities contracting information, The New York Instances has compiled an accounting of Mr. Musk’s multipronged enterprise preparations with the federal authorities, in addition to the violations, fines, consent decrees and different inquiries federal companies have ordered in opposition to his corporations. Collectively, they present a deep net of relationships: As a substitute of coming into this new position as a impartial observer, Mr. Musk can be passing judgment on his personal clients and regulators.
NASA, the Departments of Protection, the Inside, Transportation, Commerce, Homeland Safety — the man is a major power in all of those and extra already. Ought to Trump win, an unelected Musk may achieve the flexibility to squash anybody who may stand in his method. His outsized affect is already inflicting issues:
One such instance was the check launch this month of Starship, SpaceX’s latest rocket. NASA has agreed to pay the corporate as a lot as $4.4 billion to take astronauts to the floor of the moon on two future missions — though the dates will rely upon when all of the gear is prepared. To this point, Starship has not flown any people.
However the Federal Aviation Administration held up this most up-to-date check launch for weeks, partially due to questions on hurt SpaceX has triggered to wildlife close to its Texas launch web site, a delay that infuriated Mr. Musk.
“We proceed to be caught in a actuality the place it takes longer to do the federal government paperwork to license a rocket launch than it does to design and construct the precise {hardware},” SpaceX mentioned in an announcement.
This wouldn’t be the primary time {that a} wealthy particular person tried to get their fingers on the levers of energy within the U.S. with out successful an election. In 1933, the Enterprise Plot would have seen rich businessmen overthrow president Franklin D. Roosevelt and set up a Nazi-friendly navy dictatorship, as an illustration.
Regardless of who you’re voting for, handing any single particular person this a lot energy is a horrible thought. Head over to the New York Instances to learn extra.
