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Elon Musk Asks Sierra Club To Go To Bat For Him On Social Media. They Oblige

REUTERS/Joe Skipper

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Chris White Tech Reporter
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Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk solicited help from the head of the Sierra Club in battling back against journalists and liberals who groused about the California billionaire’s recent donations to the Republican Party.

Musk called Michael Brune Saturday and asked the Sierra Club executive director to publicize a $6 million contribution the Tesla CEO made to the group, according to an internal email Brune wrote Tuesday. Musk also asked Brune to sing his praises on Twitter following reports he gave a $39,000 contribution to Republicans. He complied with Musk’s request.

“There have got to be better topics of debate than whether @elonmusk is committed to climate action,” Brune wrote in the tweet from the Sierra Club’s account. Musk responded to Brune’s tweet and pinned it to his profile: “Thank you for fighting climate change. This affects every living creature on Earth.”

Representatives with the Sierra Club did not appreciate their boss’s position. They objected to Brune’s defense of a corporate giant who funds Republicans and rails against the United Auto Workers.

“I appreciate the concerns that I’ve seen online and in email that the tweets may be at odds with our support for workers’ rights and defeating the GOP agenda across the country,” Brune wrote in the email to his staff. “I don’t agree, but I see the risk and understand the concerns. Musk has made unhelpful anti-union statements and Tesla’s labor practices are also cause for concern, so I take your comments seriously.”

Musk’s donations to PAC Protect the House, which seeks to maintain Republican control of the House of Representatives, has turned into a proverbial train wreck for the Tesla CEO. He attempted to stop the bleeding in a Saturday tweet, telling his followers that a “nominal amount goes out automatically to both parties.”

He added: “To be clear, I am not a conservative. Am registered independent & politically moderate. Doesn’t mean I’m moderate about all issues.” Musk has a long history of providing large donations to both parties. (RELATED: ‘Thin-Skinned Bully’: Elon Musk Is Owning The Media And CNN Does Not Like It)

Musk gave nearly $30,000 in 2011 to the DNC Services Corp, a non-profit group dedicated to promoting the Democratic platform and funding organizational activities. The California billionaire also funneled $5,000 that same year to former President Barack Obama, according to opensecrets.org.

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