Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Top Stories

Conflict of Interest Complaints Against Musk Grow

News

Conflict of Interest Complaints Against Musk Grow

U.S. President Donald Trump and White House Senior Advisor, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk deliver remarks next to a Tesla Cyber Truck and a Model S on the South Lawn of the White House on March 11, 2025 in Washington, DC.

Getty Images, Andrew Harnik

On Friday, March 14, 2025, The Fulcrum published a news report entitled, “ Complaint Filed Against Elon Musk for Potentially Violating Laws to Benefit His Satellite Business,” in which we reported on a complaint filed by the Campaign Legal Center (CLC) with the U.S. Department of Transportation’s acting Inspector General. The complaint asks them to investigate if Elon Musk unlawfully influenced government decision-making and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) contracts involving his satellite business.

Two days after The Fulcrum report, Evan Feinman—the outgoing director of the Broadband Equity, Access, and Deployment (BEAD) Program—publicly criticized the Trump administration for allegedly diverting funds from rural broadband projects to Elon Musk's Starlink satellite internet company. This criticism was expressed in an email to colleagues on March 16, 2025. Feinman described the diversion of funds as a betrayal to rural America, emphasizing the importance of providing reliable and affordable internet access to underserved areas.


The BEAD Program is part of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), which operates under the U.S. Department of Commerce.

In a strongly worded email, Feinman expressed concerns that this move would leave rural America with slower and more expensive internet while enriching Musk further. He urged people to advocate against these changes and emphasized the importance of providing high-quality internet access to rural areas.

Feinman, in his email, stated:

"Stranding all or part of rural America with worse internet so that we can make the world’s richest man even richer is yet another in a long line of betrayals by Washington."Feinman also urged, "Reach out to your congressional delegation and reach out to the Trump Administration and tell them to strip out the needless requirements, but not to strip away from states the flexibility to get the best connections for their people."

His concerns centered on his belief that Starlink's technology might deliver slower speeds at higher costs, which he believed would not serve rural America's best interests.

Elon Musk has faced several conflict-of-interest complaints in recent weeks, particularly related to his roles in government and his business ventures. Below are a few examples in addition to the FAA and Starlink conflict complaint described above:

  • DOGE and Federal Agencies: As head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Musk has been accused of targeting federal agencies that were investigating his companies, such as Tesla and SpaceX. This includes firing inspectors general from agencies like the Department of Agriculture and the Department of Labor.
  • CFPB Oversight: Democratic lawmakers have raised concerns about Musk's role in stripping the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) of its power to regulate digital payment platforms. This move could benefit Musk's plans to expand Twitter/X into a financial services platform. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) are calling on the Office of Government Ethics to investigate Musk’s compliance with federal ethics laws, specifically whether he has recused himself from DOGE’s work with the CFPB or been issued ethics waivers. “If Mr. Musk has taken actions in his federal role that will benefit his financial interests without receiving appropriate waivers and approvals, he may have violated the criminal conflict of interest statute,” the letter from Warren and Schiff read.
  • Delaware Legislation: A proposed bill in Delaware, allegedly influenced by Musk, would shield corporate executives from liability and make it harder to hold them accountable for conflicts of interest. Critics argue this could benefit Musk and other powerful executives.

Given the extent of Elon Musk’s role with DOGE and the increased attention on his actions, the likelihood of further scrutiny, allegations, and charges of conflict of interest is considerable, especially given the existing and potentially additional federal contracts for Tesla and SpaceX.


David Nevins is co-publisher of The Fulcrum and co-founder and board chairman of the Bridge Alliance Education Fund.

Read More

Ending taxes on home sales would benefit the wealthiest households most – part of a larger pattern in Trump tax plans

File:Homes-for-sale-Burrus-02.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Ending taxes on home sales would benefit the wealthiest households most – part of a larger pattern in Trump tax plans

Not long after U.S. housing prices reached a record high this summer – the median existing home went for US$435,000 in June – President Donald Trump said that he was considering a plan to make home sales tax-free.

Supporters of the idea, introduced by U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene as the No Tax on Home Sales Act in July, say it would benefit working families by eliminating all taxes on the sales of family homes.

Keep ReadingShow less
Just the Facts: $100,000 Visa Executive Order

"Just the Facts" on the new $100,000 H-1B visa fee, its impact on tech firms, startups, and healthcare, plus legal challenges and alternatives for skilled workers.

Getty Images, Popartic

Just the Facts: $100,000 Visa Executive Order

The Fulcrum strives to approach news stories with an open mind and skepticism, striving to present our readers with a broad spectrum of viewpoints through diligent research and critical thinking. As best we can, we remove personal bias from our reporting and seek a variety of perspectives in both our news gathering and selection of opinion pieces. However, before our readers can analyze varying viewpoints, they must have the facts.

What Is the $100,000 Visa Fee?

This is a new one-time $100,000 application fee for employers seeking to sponsor foreign workers under the H-1B visa program. The visa is designed for highly skilled professionals in fields like tech, medicine, and engineering.

Keep ReadingShow less
Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy: Why Both Disrupt Free Markets—and Neither Is Inherently Conservative or Progressive

Dave Anderson shares how the Fed’s rate cuts reveal misconceptions about fiscal vs. monetary policy and government intervention in U.S. free markets.

Getty Images, Royalty-free

Monetary vs. Fiscal Policy: Why Both Disrupt Free Markets—and Neither Is Inherently Conservative or Progressive

The Federal Reserve Board's move on Wednesday, Sept. 17, to lower the federal funds interest rate by one-quarter of a point signals that it is a good time to discuss a major misconception that most voters have about public policy.

It is typically assumed that Democrats stand for government intervention into free markets to counteract the inherent bias towards those who are more economically well off. It is also assumed that Republicans, in contrast, reject the idea of government intervention in free markets because it violates rights to property and the natural order of free markets, which promotes the greatest total welfare.

Keep ReadingShow less
A close up of a nurse's hand resting on the shoulder of an older man who's hand rests on top.

September is World Alzheimer’s Awareness Month. Dr. Dona Kim Murphey explains how systemic failures, Medicare privatization, and racial disparities are deepening the dementia care crisis.

Getty Images, PeopleImages

Profits Over Patients: Re-Examining Systems As Culprit in Dementia Care (or Lack Thereof)

September is World Alzheimer's Awareness Month. Alzheimer's is the most common kind of dementia, a disorder characterized by the progressive loss of brain cells and, in its final stages, complete dependence—the inability to remember, speak, move, or even eat or swallow unassisted. Many end up in nursing homes. Seven million people are impacted by dementia in the United States today, a number that will more than double in the next 25 years.

But awareness is not just about understanding the magnitude of the problem or content expertise on the choices we make as individuals to mitigate the enormous present and future challenges of this disease. It is about a consciousness of the role of systems, namely insurance and government, that are seriously undermining our ability to care.

Keep ReadingShow less