(DCWatchdog.com) – President Joe Biden has declared that billionaire Elon Musk’s $44 billion takeover of social media platform Twitter should be investigated over potential threats to US national security due to investment by foreign nations such as Saudi Arabia.
You can watch the video of Biden’s comments at the bottom of this post.
Biden’s remark on investigating Musk came in response to a reporter’s question, but it quickly led conservative pundits to voice their dismay because of the various leaks exposing the highly suspicious foreign business deals of his son, Hunter Biden.
“Mr. President, do you think Elon Musk is a threat to US national security, and should the US and with the tools you have investigate his joint acquisition of Twitter with foreign governments, which include the Saudis?” a reporter asked Biden at a White House news conference Wednesday afternoon.
The Democrat president first laughed off the question for about five seconds, blinked several times, and then gave a reply interrupted by several pauses.
“I think that Elon Musk’s (pause) cooperation and/or (pause) technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at, whether or not he’s doing anything inappropriate,” Biden responded.
“I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting that it is worth being looked at… and…. Uh… but that’s all I’ll say,” he added.
“There’s a lot of ways,” Biden replied to a quick question from a reporter on how Elon Musk’s Twitter deal should be looked at.
Besides Musk’s contribution and former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s retention of his 2.44% stake in the platform, the $44 billion purchase was also aided by the royal families of Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
They did so by rolling over their already existing stakes in the company. Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal rolled over his stake of $1.9 billion, while Qatar’s stake is smaller. The Saudi prince first acquired a stake in Twitter in 2011.
A report by Axios noted that the Saudi royal family is a frequent investor in American tech companies, and the US government rarely investigates those investments.
“What about your relationships with other countries, Joe?” tweeted conservative commentator Benny Johnson, host of The Benny Report, after President Joe Biden said Elon Musk’s connections with foreign investors should be investigated.
“Where’s the alleged wrongdoing justifying this? It’s bad enough that we investigate people without cause now, but having the President label people threats in public? And people are okay with this?” wondered investigative reporter and writer Matt Taibbi.
“Twitter already had the Saudis invested in it. No one seemed to give a darn about that. Now suddenly, it’s something that should be investigated,” tweeted Red State writer Nick Arama.
“Biden is effectively dictating action against a person who recommends that people vote for Republicans for Congress. This should concern everyone about what’s being said here. If he can do it to the richest man in the world, h can do it to anyone else,” Arama concluded.
Here is the video of Biden’s comments:
REPORTER: "Do you think Elon Musk is a threat to U.S. national security and [should be investigated?]"
BIDEN: "I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at." pic.twitter.com/DXrBULf814
— Breaking911 (@Breaking911) November 9, 2022
What is your reaction to and opinion of Biden’s comments about Musk? Please share your thoughts by emailing [email protected]. Thank you.
