Reckless right-wing billionaire narcissist (aren't they all?) Elon Musk's announced plan to purchase Twitter has raised issues of national security that the Biden Administration may address, according to reports, an action that could result in the cancellation of the purchase:
"Musk's plans to purchase Twitter for $44 billion with the help of foreign investors, including Saudi Arabia's Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, Qatar's sovereign wealth fund, and Binance Holdings which was founded by a Chinese businessman, have concerned Biden administration officials, the people told Bloomberg.
The government was considering which tools they could use to review Musk's deals, the people added. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US (CFIUS), which is run by the US Treasury Department and reviews foreign buyers' acquisitions of American businesses, could be an option, per Bloomberg.
The CFIUS carries out security reviews if a 'transaction threatens to impair the national security of the United States,' according to federal regulations. When reviewing a transaction, the CFIUS can recommend to President Joe Biden that the deal be suspended or prohibited, per the regulations." (our emphasis)
It's not just Musk's cozy financial relationship with foreign autocracies like China and Saudi Arabia, his recent (now withdrawn) threat to stop the critical Starlink communications service to Ukraine unless the Pentagon pays him and his mouthing of Russian talking points about a "peace agreement" for Ukraine has many suspecting that he'd do war criminal Vladimir Putin's bidding through social media and his technology companies.
Should the purchase go through, Musk is also threatening to cut 75% of Twitter's workforce, according to documents reviewed by the Washington Post:
"Twitter’s workforce is likely to be hit with massive cuts in the coming months, no matter who owns the company, interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Post show, a change likely to have major impact on its ability to control harmful content and prevent data security crises.
Elon Musk told prospective investors in his deal to buy the company that he planned to get rid of nearly 75 percent of Twitter’s 7,500 workers, whittling the company down to a skeleton staff of just over 2,000." (our emphasis)
His plans likely entail opening Twitter to unfiltered hate speech and conspiracy theories popular on the fascist right, while suppressing content that he disagrees with, much like his financial backers do under their regimes. The power of Twitter to influence millions in the hands of Musk and his foreign "friends" would appear to be a clear threat to our national security.
(photo: Theo Wargo / Wireimage / Getty Images)
