Report: U.S. Officials Considering a Review of Twitter-Musk Deal The billionaire replied to the news with a laughing emoji.
By Gabrielle Bienasz •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Many things change in the world, but Elon Musk's tendency to share off-the-cuff thoughts on Twitter does not.
On Thursday evening, Bloomberg reported that people in the federal government were considering reviewing Musk's activities in his various businesses for national security purposes — namely, his plan to buy Twitter and request for funding for Starlink internet service in Ukraine.
Last week, CNN reported that Musk told the Pentagon he no longer wanted to bear the financial brunt of providing internet service in Ukraine. He Tweeted earlier this month the company has lost $80 million on it.
Unnamed sources told Bloomberg that federal officials were concerned about his Tweets about Russia and Ukraine, his ask about Starlink funding, as well as his plan to use capital from outside the U.S. to fund the Twitter deal.
In typical Musk fashion, however, he seems pretty relaxed about it all. In response to the Bloomberg story, someone commented "It would be hysterical if the government stopped Elon from [overpaying] for Twitter."
Musk replied directly with a laughing and a "100%" emoji.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 21, 2022
Musk has publicly said that he's paying too much for the company.
Bloomberg said a possible candidate to lead the investigation would be the secretive Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, but when asked for comment, the White House passed the buck.
"We do not know of any such discussions," a spokesperson told Bloomberg.
On Thursday, the Washington Post reported that there are documents saying if the Twitter deal goes through, Musk plans to cut about 75% of the company's workforce.
Twitter's shares fell on the news Friday.
