As President Donald Trump continues his first foreign trip to the Middle East, a group of Senate Democrats is calling for an investigation into whether the Trump administration is easing the path for Starlink, a company led by White House senior adviser Elon Musk, to strike foreign deals.
In a letter sent Wednesday to Attorney General Pam Bondi, acting Director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics Jamieson Greer, acting Inspector General of the State Department Arne Baker, and White House ethics official Scott Gast, the senators asked for an investigation into whether the administration is “intervening” to benefit Starlink as it “negotiates tariff agreements and other matters with foreign governments.”
Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., Intelligence Committee Vice Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., are leading the effort to raise concerns about recent Washington Post reporting that suggests the State Department may be pushing other countries to clear barriers for Musk’s satellite company.
“These reports indicate that Mr. Musk may be using his official role and his proximity to the President as leverage for his own personal financial benefit — even if it comes at the expense of American consumers and the nation’s foreign policy interests,” those senators wrote. “These actions raise questions about whether Mr. Musk or other administration officials may be violating ethics or other laws.”
The group of Senate Democrats, which includes a number of additional Democratic co-signers, said the Department of Justice and the White House designated agency ethics official should look into “whether Musk or other administration officials may have violated federal ethics law by abusing their official roles for the benefit of Starlink.”
The letter comes as Musk accompanied Trump on his first foreign trip of his second term. Musk was seated prominently as the president spoke at the Saudi-US Investment Forum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday.
During separate remarks at the same forum, Musk announced that Saudi Arabia had approved Starlink for aviation and maritime use in the region, which alarmed senators.
“Musk announced that Saudi Arabia approved Starlink, just as the White House and U.S. tech companies announced defense and trade agreements with Saudi Arabia and a Saudi company,” according to their statement. “Starlink stands to earn billions of dollars from unlocking access to these new markets.”
However, the senators cite other examples in addition to the contract with Saudi Arabia. Starlink, according to the senators, has seen a “rush of new countries permitting the company to enter their markets” since Trump took office. They stated that the company had previously struggled to obtain permits to operate in certain foreign markets.
The letter cited Starlink’s recent expansion into Bangladesh, which granted the company access to its market shortly after a Bangladeshi government official met with Musk at the White House. The lawmakers demanded an investigation into whether Musk’s meeting with Bangladeshi officials violated ethics laws because of Musk’s special government employee status.
Reports indicate that India expedited Starlink approvals while negotiating tariffs with the White House.
“Suggesting that a foreign government adopt Starlink in exchange for relief on tariffs appears to be a textbook case of corruption,” their letter stated. “The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section is in charge of investigating potential criminal conflicts of interest like this.
The White House’s Designated Agency Ethics Official can also investigate potential ethics violations by White House officials. We request that the DOJ and the White House look into whether any officials violated federal ethics law by pursuing a quid pro quo exchange of Starlink access for tariff favors.”
“It is completely false to claim that Elon Musk was or is involved in any Starlink deals. This is just more fake news from media outlets that are determined to create non-existent conflicts of interest.
For the umpteenth time, President Trump will not tolerate any conflicts of interest, and every administration official is adhering to the ethical guidelines established by their respective agencies,” White House principal deputy press secretary Harrison Fields told ABC News.
Trump previously stated that he would ensure there was no conflict of interest involving Musk.
“If there is a conflict, we will not allow him to get near it. He would know better than to do it, so we haven’t had it yet. However, if there was a conflict, we would not allow him to work in that area,” he stated in February.
ABC News has also contacted Starlink for comment.
Senate Democrats have been focusing on Musk’s role as a special government employee for some time, raising concerns about conflicts of interest between the world’s wealthiest businessman and his government advisory role.
In recent weeks, Musk has received a series of letters aimed at him. Warren has also proposed legislation that would prohibit special government employees from communicating with government agencies that interact with their companies and require them to meet new ethics requirements.
