President Joe Biden, at a post-election press conference Wednesday, said that tech mogul Elon Musk’s relationships with foreign governments were worth investigating following his acquisition of Twitter, according to the White House.
Prince Alwaleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, alongside a holding company in which he owns a 95% stake, invested nearly $1.9 billion into Musk’s $44 billion takeover, granting them a roughly 4% stake in the newly private company, according to Forbes. Bloomberg White House Reporter Jenny Leonard asked the president if Musk was a threat to “U.S. national security,” and whether his “joint acquisition of Twitter” with Saudi Arabia, was worth investigating, according to the White House.
“I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries … is worthy of being looked at, whether or not he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that,” the president said, chuckling before his response. “I’m suggesting that [it’s] … worth being looked at … that’s all I’ll say.” (RELATED: Biden Admin Weighs Potential Investigation Into Musk’s Purchase Of Twitter: REPORT)
“There’s a lot of ways,” Biden said, when another reporter called out to ask how the government might conduct such an investigation.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 31: Elon Musk attends Heidi Klum’s 21st Annual Halloween Party presented by Now Screaming x Prime Video and Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur at Sake No Hana at Moxy Lower East Side on October 31, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images for Heidi Klum)
The exchange occurred just one week after The Washington Post reported that the Treasury Department was considering the possibility of investigating Musk over a variety of foreign investors in the deal, primarily a subsidiary of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund and the Saudi prince.
Should an investigation occur soon, it would arrive as Musk attempts to make major changes to Twitter by making its verification system a paid subscription and ending the practice of permanently banning users. Musk has also struggled with advertisers suspending their ads on the platform amid concerns that his policies would harm brand safety, prompting a nearly one-hour call with advertisers where the company’s new CEO promised that Twitter would not “amplify” problematic voices, a significant softening of his stance on free speech.
The White House and Twitter did not immediately respond to a Daily Caller News Foundation request for comment.
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