Biden was asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether he believes Musk is a national security threat and whether the takeover of Twitter with the help of a Saudi conglomerate should be investigated by the US government. “I think Elon Musk’s cooperation and/or technical relationships with other countries are worth looking into,” Biden said. “Whether he does something inappropriate, I don’t recommend it. I suggest they are worth a look.” Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, among the wealthiest investors in the Middle East, and his investment firm emerged as the second largest investor in Twitter after Musk bought the social media platform. Two US senators – Democrat Ron Wyden, who chairs the finance committee, and Chris Murphy of Connecticut – last week called for a “scrutiny” of the deal on Twitter. In a statement, Wyden said: “Given the Saudi regime’s history of imprisoning critics, planting a spy on Twitter and brutally murdering a Washington Post reporter, the Saudi regime must be blocked from accessing Twitter account information, immediately messages and other data that could be used to identify political opponents or suppress criticism of the royal family. “I have long argued that the United States has a national security interest in protecting Americans’ data from murderous foreign governments, and this Saudi regime fits that description perfectly.” The White House said last month that reports that the US was discussing launching a national security review of some of Musk’s ventures, including Twitter, were “not true”. Musk’s purchase of Twitter has sparked concerns that he could face pressure from countries trying to control free speech online. The world’s richest man, Musk is CEO of electric car company Tesla, which counts China as a key market and production base. Tesla operates a factory in Shanghai that accounted for about half of Tesla’s global deliveries last year. Musk is also the CEO of rocket and internet satellite company SpaceX, among others. Musk previously suggested that tensions between China and Taiwan could be resolved by handing over control of Taiwan to Beijing. Musk also said that China has sought assurances that it will not offer SpaceX’s Starlink internet service there. He also suggested Ukraine permanently cede Crimea to Russia, while saying SpaceX could not fund Starlink services in Ukraine indefinitely. Ian Bremer, head of political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, tweeted that Musk told him he had spoken to Putin and the Kremlin directly about Ukraine. Musk denied the claims.
