Elon Musk Reportedly Has a Huge Conflict of Interest Motivating Him to Gut USAID
www.yahoo.com

.. Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency has laid waste to USAID, an international development agency that typically spends tens of billions of dollars on aid across the world.

Its demise could result in the death of "thousands, if not hundreds of thousands" of people, as one anonymous USAID official told Politico.

In an excoriating series of tweets, Musk called the agency a "criminal organization" and argued that it was "evil," while furthering harebrained conspiracy theories claiming it was somehow linked to the outbreak of COVID.

Now, it's starting to sound like Musk's seething hatred towards the aid organization can be traced back to at least one conflict of interest at one of his business ventures: according to The Lever, USAID's inspector general was investigating Musk's Starlink partnership with the Ukrainian government around the time DOGE shut down the organization. ...

The White House says Elon Musk is a "special government employee." Here's what that means.
www.cbsnews.com

... That lawsuit pointed out that, at the time of its filing, Musk's status with the federal government was unclear.

"The Trump administration has not publicly revealed whether Mr. Musk has been made an officer or employee of the U.S. government or remains a private citizen," the lawsuit states. "The Trump administration also has not publicly revealed the employment status of other individuals who are part of DOGE."

In an emailed statement to CBS MoneyWatch, Leavitt said, "Elon Musk is a special government employee and has abided by all applicable federal laws."

Here's what to know about the "special government employee" designation. ...

What is a special government employee?

A special government employee, or SGE, is someone who"who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period," according to the Department of Justice.

The role was created in 1962 as a way to enable the government to tap outside expertise, according to the publication Government Executive. A special government employee can be paid or unpaid, the Justice Department notes.

Which rules must SGEs adhere to?

SGEs "are subject to most rules, although sometimes in a less restrictive way," including ethics and conflict of interest rules, the Justice Department states.

But SGEs also are prohibited from working on issues that impact their financial interests, as well as their spouses, children or organizations in which they work or serve as a director or trustee. Some of Musk's businesses rely on the federal government's contracts, including SpaceX, which was awarded 100 contracts in 2023 worth $3 billion, according to the New York Times. ...