ProPublica uncovered how U.S. diplomacy is being used to boost Musk’s profits — help us keep digging.<a href="[link removed]><img src="[link removed]" alt="" border="0" /></a>

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Yesterday, ProPublica reporting revealed that President Donald Trump’s administration is leveraging the U.S. government’s foreign policy apparatus to advance the business interests of Elon Musk, a top Trump adviser and the world’s richest man <[link removed]>.

Since Trump’s inauguration, the State Department has intervened on behalf of Musk’s satellite internet company, Starlink, in five developing nations. Our story provides a detailed picture of the starkest known example, playing out in Gambia, of U.S. diplomats coordinating with Starlink executives to coax, lobby and browbeat at least seven government ministers to help get business for Musk. One Gambian Cabinet official told ProPublica his government is under “maximum pressure” to yield to the U.S.

“If this was done by another country, we absolutely would call this corruption,” said Kristofer Harrison, who served as a high-level State Department official in the George W. Bush administration. “Because it is corruption.”

Ten current and former State Department officials said the recent drive was an alarming departure from standard diplomatic practice — because of both the tactics used and the person who would benefit most from them. “I honestly didn’t think we were capable of doing this,” one official told ProPublica. “That is bad on every level.” Kenneth Fairfax, a retired career diplomat who served as U.S. ambassador to Kazakhstan, said the global push for Musk “could lead to the impression that the U.S. is engaging in a form of crony capitalism.”

During the Biden administration, State Department officials worked with Starlink to help the company navigate bureaucracies abroad. But the agency’s approach appears to have become significantly more aggressive and expansive since Trump’s return to power, according to internal records and current and former government officials. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed U.S. diplomats to help Starlink so it can beat its Chinese and Russian competitors.

In response to detailed questions, the State Department issued a statement celebrating Starlink. “Starlink is an America-made product that has been a game changer in helping remote areas around the world gain internet connectivity,” a spokesperson wrote. “Any patriotic American should want to see an American company’s success on the global stage, especially over compromised Chinese competitors.” Starlink did not respond to requests for comment, nor did the office of the president of Gambia. In a statement, the White House said Musk has nothing to do with deals involving Starlink and that every administration official follows ethical guidelines.

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Thanks again,

Robin Sparkman <[link removed]>President, ProPublica

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