- Tesla CEO Elon Musk, via his attorney, accused the SEC of leaking information about a federal investigation in order to retaliate against him for public criticism of the federal financial regulators.
- The attorney did not specify, or provide any evidence saying, which investigation or what type of information may have been leaked by the SEC.
- The conflict between Musk and the SEC began in September 2018 when the SEC charged Musk with making “false and misleading” statements to investors.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk, via his attorney, accused the Securities and Exchange Commission of leaking information about a federal investigation in order to retaliate against him for public criticism of the federal financial regulators.
In a letter on Monday to U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan, Musk attorney Alex Spiro wrote: “It has become clearer and clearer that the Commission is out to retaliate against my clients for exercising their First Amendment rights—most recently by criticizing the Commission on the public docket and by petitioning this Court for relief.”
The letter comes four days after Musk initially alleged that the SEC was engaged in harassment by continually investigating him, that the agency was trying to chill his right to free speech, and had neglected their duties to remit $40 million to shareholders that Tesla and Musk previously paid in fines to settle securities fraud charges.
Spiro did not specify which investigation or what type of information may have been leaked by the SEC, and to whom. In the letter, he alleged that at least one member of the SEC had leaked “certain information regarding its investigation” without providing any supporting evidence.
Spiro could not be immediately reached for comment. The SEC did not immediately respond to comments.
The conflict between Musk and the SEC began in September 2018 when the SEC charged Musk with making “false and misleading” statements to investors after he wrote on Twitter that August that he had secured enough funding for a massive private buyout of Tesla at $420 a share. The stock seesawed all month and the deal Musk alluded to never materialized.
Source: CNBC
