WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. government agencies tracked foreign nationals’ visits to Elon Musk’s proprieties amid concerns over possible attempts to influence the tech billionaire, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter. The investigation, which tracked the foreigners in 2022 and 2023, included the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice […]
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US agencies tracked foreigners visiting Musk’s properties in 2022 and 2023, WSJ reports
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WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. government agencies tracked foreign nationals’ visits to Elon Musk’s proprieties amid concerns over possible attempts to influence the tech billionaire, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the matter.
The investigation, which tracked the foreigners in 2022 and 2023, included the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department, according to the report. It focused on people visiting the Musk from countries in Eastern Europe and elsewhere, the Journal said.
Musk, who runs five companies and has sensitive government contracts, has had unprecedented access to top government officials from countries around the world.
The U.S. investigation focused on possible attempts to influence Musk, the Tesla chief executive, the newspaper said. No charges were filed and the status of the probe was not clear, according to the Journal.
The world’s richest person, Musk was tapped by President Donald Trump to lead what became a chaotic drive to slash the federal government. He was a top adviser to Trump until the two men had a public rupture last week.
Officials at several agencies including the FBI have been briefed on the investigation, which predated the Trump administration, the newspaper reported.
The Journal said Musk did not respond to requests for comment and the FBI declined to Comment.
The Trump administration has expressed concern about possible foreign influence in the United States.
(Reporting by Jasper Ward; Editing by Doina Chiacu)