Democrats on Capitol Hill set sights on Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition
Sen. Chris Murphy claims Saudi Arabia may use Elon Musk's purchase to influence Twitter
Twitter owner Elon Musk's arrival creates change, chaos on the internet
The Heritage Foundation's Jake Denton breaks down some of the biggest changes that Elon Musk is implementing at Twitter on 'The Evening Edit.'
Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., set his sights on billionaire Elon Musk's acquisition of Twitter on Tuesday, calling for the Biden administration to open an investigation into the deal.
Murphy sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen on Monday highlighting that members of the Saudi royal family are prominent investors in Twitter. Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal had purchased his stake in Twitter long before Musk bought the company, however.
"I write to draw your attention to potential national security concerns arising from the recently completed takeover of Twitter, Inc. by Elon Musk and a number of private investors," Murphy wrote to Yellen, according to a copy of the letter obtained by Punchbowl News.
"Setting aside the vast stores of data that Twitter has collected on American citizens, any potential that Twitter’s foreign ownership will result in increased censorship, misinformation, or political violence is a grave national security concern," he added.
MELTDOWN AS ELON MUSK ENTERS TWITTER HEADQUARTERS AHEAD OF TAKEOVER: ‘LET THAT SINK IN!’
Elon Musk gestures as he speaks during a press conference at SpaceX's Starbase facility near Boca Chica Village in South Texas on February 10, 2022. Musk will buy Twitter for $44 billion. ( Getty Images / Getty Images)
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) speaks with reporters following a news conference after a policy luncheon with Senate Democrats in the U.S. Capitol Building on June 14, 2022 in Washington, DC. At the news conference Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer ( (Getty Images / Getty Images)
ELON MUSK MOCKS TWITTER'S HR FOR SENDING HIM ‘MANDATORY’ COURSE ON HOW TO RUN A COMPANY
"Saudi Arabia is one of the most repressive countries in the world, with little to no tolerance for free expression. Importantly, the Saudi government has demonstrated a willingness to enforce their restrictive approach to dissent outside the Kingdom’s borders—illustrated most tragically by the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi," the letter continued.
Musk finalized his purchase of Twitter last week, saying he hoped to make the platform a beacon of free speech without turning it into a "hellscape."
Left-leaning commentators have spread fear that Twitter will become a right-leaning messaging tool under Musk's leadership.
Critics were outraged when Musk announced the firings of several top executives at the company, including CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and head of legal policy, trust, and safety Vijaya Gadde.
Gadde led the company's push to censor the Hunter Biden laptop story first published in the New York Post prior to the 2020 election.
Parag Agrawal, former CEO of Twitter, walks to a morning session during the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 06, 2022 in Sun Valley, Idaho. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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Musk's stated goal in purchasing Twitter was to protect the freedom of speech, saying in a statement last week that a public square open to diverse opinions is necessary for democracy to thrive.