May 14 (UPI) — Senate Democrats want to know if the Trump administration is intervening on behalf of Elon Musk-owned Starlink to enable the global communications firm to land more deals with other nations.
Eight Senate Democrats signed the letter that is dated Wednesday and in which they cite a recent Washington Post article claiming the State Department and U.S. embassies “have pushed nations to clear hurdles for U.S. satellite companies, often mentioning Starlink by name.”
The eight senators are Elizabeth Warren, Mark Warner, Jeanne Shaheen, Jack Reed, Richard Blumenthal, Jeffrey Merkley, Martin Heinrich and Edward Markey.
The Washington Post report and internal government messages “indicate that Mr. Musk may be using his official role and his proximity to the president as leverage for his own personal financial benefit — even if it comes at the expense of American consumers and the nation’s foreign policy interests,” Warren, et al., said.
“These actions raise questions about whether Mr. Musk or other administration officials may be violating ethics or other laws.”
In addition to Bondi, the five-page letter addresses Office of Government Ethics Acting Director Jamieson Greer, White House designated agency ethics official Scott Gast and State Department Acting Inspector General Arne Baker.
The senators want Baker to “conduct a broad review of the role of the [State] Department in tariff negotiations and whether there have been illegal or inappropriate efforts to assist Starlink or other private-sector entities at the expense of the American public.”
They asked Bondi and Gast to investigate whether Musk or other administration officials “may have violated ethics law by abusing their official roles for the benefit of Starlink.”
Starlink is a global satellite-based internet service that operates in more than 120 global markets and aims to add a million new customers every year, the senators said.
They claim Starlink “has struggled” to secure agreements to operate in some emerging foreign markets and meet its annual goal for new subscribers.
“However, since President Trump took office and Musk became a top Trump advisor, Starlink has seen a rush of new countries permitting the company to enter their markets,” Warren, et al., claim.
The nations of Lesotho, India, Bangladesh and Vietnam, among others, recently approved access for Starlink at the same time “they were seeking a reprieve from the threat of the Trump administration’s unpredictable tariffs,” the senators said.
They said Musk recently announced Saudi Arabia has approved Starlink “just as the White House and U.S. tech companies announced defense and trade agreements with Saudi Arabia and a Saudi company.”
A Bangladeshi government official in February visited the White House to meet Musk and in April claimed Bangladesh approved Starlink to “get favorable trade terms from the United States,” the letter says.
The senators also accuse Secretary of State Marco Rubio of telling department officials to “push for regulatory approvals for Musk’s satellite firm” and said, “several countries appear to have gotten the message.”
India and at least two other nations approved Starlink in their respective markets to avoid tariffs and get a better trade deal, the senators claim.
They want Baker to review the matter to determine if any ethics violations occurred within the State Department.
Musk founded SpaceX, which owns and runs Starlink, which in turn provides globally accessible internet access anywhere that a satellite signal can reach.
SpaceX officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment made on Wednesday evening.
