Eric Lipton

So there really is not much of an investigative capacity or an investigative desire beyond reporters that are attempting to drill into this without subpoena power.

So there really is not much of an investigative capacity or an investigative desire beyond reporters that are attempting to drill into this without subpoena power.

That's right. I mean, really, there's never been anything quite like Elon Musk. This is a guy whose companies just last year in 2024 received $3.8 billion worth of federal government contracts from And in the last five years, $13 billion worth of contracts. He has investigations pending of his various corporate entities in the dozens.

That's right. I mean, really, there's never been anything quite like Elon Musk. This is a guy whose companies just last year in 2024 received $3.8 billion worth of federal government contracts from And in the last five years, $13 billion worth of contracts. He has investigations pending of his various corporate entities in the dozens.

That's right. I mean, really, there's never been anything quite like Elon Musk. This is a guy whose companies just last year in 2024 received $3.8 billion worth of federal government contracts from And in the last five years, $13 billion worth of contracts. He has investigations pending of his various corporate entities in the dozens.

And it's just sort of an acronym soup of federal agencies that either have pending investigations, lawsuits. subpoenaing him, all kinds of things that are active and that are in play and therefore vulnerable to being shut down.

And it's just sort of an acronym soup of federal agencies that either have pending investigations, lawsuits. subpoenaing him, all kinds of things that are active and that are in play and therefore vulnerable to being shut down.

And it's just sort of an acronym soup of federal agencies that either have pending investigations, lawsuits. subpoenaing him, all kinds of things that are active and that are in play and therefore vulnerable to being shut down.

Not only therefore does he have billions of dollars at stake financially, but he has dozens of investigations targeting him at the same time as he has this immense power reaching across really the whole breadth of the federal government. There really has never been a conflict so broad in probably in American history.

Not only therefore does he have billions of dollars at stake financially, but he has dozens of investigations targeting him at the same time as he has this immense power reaching across really the whole breadth of the federal government. There really has never been a conflict so broad in probably in American history.

Not only therefore does he have billions of dollars at stake financially, but he has dozens of investigations targeting him at the same time as he has this immense power reaching across really the whole breadth of the federal government. There really has never been a conflict so broad in probably in American history.

Well, I mean, again, President Trump just neutered all 17 of the inspectors general who really had the greatest capacity to investigate potential waste, fraud, and abuse in his contracts.

Well, I mean, again, President Trump just neutered all 17 of the inspectors general who really had the greatest capacity to investigate potential waste, fraud, and abuse in his contracts.

Well, I mean, again, President Trump just neutered all 17 of the inspectors general who really had the greatest capacity to investigate potential waste, fraud, and abuse in his contracts.

And we know that multiple IGs had pending investigations, including the Department of Defense, which was examining whether or not he had violated the terms of having a top secret security clearance because he wasn't properly reporting engagements he had with foreign government figures previously. As far as we understand, there are still questions being asked relative to that inquiry.

And we know that multiple IGs had pending investigations, including the Department of Defense, which was examining whether or not he had violated the terms of having a top secret security clearance because he wasn't properly reporting engagements he had with foreign government figures previously. As far as we understand, there are still questions being asked relative to that inquiry.

And we know that multiple IGs had pending investigations, including the Department of Defense, which was examining whether or not he had violated the terms of having a top secret security clearance because he wasn't properly reporting engagements he had with foreign government figures previously. As far as we understand, there are still questions being asked relative to that inquiry.

But the individual who oversees that office has been replaced. And therefore, it could be a dead end, even if staff is still working on it. So the short answer is, it's unlikely that he will be the subject of very close scrutiny, just like it's unlike President Trump will be the subject of close scrutiny, because there really is no one left outside of journalists to be asking hard questions.

But the individual who oversees that office has been replaced. And therefore, it could be a dead end, even if staff is still working on it. So the short answer is, it's unlikely that he will be the subject of very close scrutiny, just like it's unlike President Trump will be the subject of close scrutiny, because there really is no one left outside of journalists to be asking hard questions.

But the individual who oversees that office has been replaced. And therefore, it could be a dead end, even if staff is still working on it. So the short answer is, it's unlikely that he will be the subject of very close scrutiny, just like it's unlike President Trump will be the subject of close scrutiny, because there really is no one left outside of journalists to be asking hard questions.