Texas Governor Greg Abbott has refused to share months of private correspondence with Elon Musk, claiming the emails are too “intimate and embarrassing” to release.
Musk has become entrenched in Texan politics over the past year after moving SpaceX and Tesla’s headquarters to the state, successfully lobbying for several changes in state law and even building his own city, Starbase, in Cameron County.
In an effort to investigate the billionaire’s influence on state legislature, the Texas Newsroom, a joint project by public broadcasters in the state, requested a copy of all communications between Musk and Abbott, which the governor’s office initially approved after charging the outlet $244 for the records.
But after completing the transaction Abbott’s counsel later refused to provide the outlet with the correspondence, claiming them to be “highly intimate or embarrassing,” and claiming their publication would be “highly objectionable” and “not of legitimate concern to the public.”
While the content of the emails obviously remains unknown, a letter from SpaceX lawyer Kevin Bagnall to Abbott’s office arguing in favor of keeping the records secret suggested they contain “commercial information whose disclosure would cause SpaceX substantial competitive harm.” The vast majority of the rest of the letter remained redacted.
In a statement, Abbott’s spokesman responded to the refusal and said: “The Office of the Governor rigorously complies with the Texas Public Information Act and will release any responsive information that is determined to not be confidential or excepted from disclosure.”
The attorney general’s office now has 45 business days to decide whether to release the records.
Due to a ruling in June by the Texas Supreme Court, neither Abbott nor Attorney General Ken Paxton are required by law to release public records containing confidential information between attorneys, which has been described as an “ace card” for the politicians to avoid accountability.
The pair recently used the ruling to avoid releasing years worth of emails related to the Jan 6 Capitol attack and private correspondence with gun lobbyists following the 2022 mass shooting in Uvalde.
“You’re boxing in the dark,” attorney Bill Aleshire told the Texas Newsroom. “You can’t even see what the target is or what’s behind their claim.”
He added: “Right now, it appears they’ve charged you $244 for records they have no intention of giving you. That is shocking.”
The Daily Beast has reached out to Greg Abbott’s office for comment.
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