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Warren Urges Trump to Set Conflict-of-Interest Rules for World's Richest Man Musk's DOGE Co-Chair Role

Dec 17, 2024, 07:32 PM

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has urged President-elect Donald Trump to establish clear conflict-of-interest rules for Elon Musk, the world's richest man with a net worth of $474 billion, who is serving as a top adviser in the incoming administration. In a letter sent to Trump, Warren expressed concerns about Musk's role as the co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), an advisory body outside of the formal government structure, alongside Vivek Ramaswamy. She highlighted that Musk's substantial private interests, including his companies Tesla and SpaceX, present a significant conflict of interest with his advisory role, describing him as Trump's 'first buddy'. Warren argued that without stringent ethics rules, Musk's position could lead to corruption on an unprecedented scale. Trump's transition team responded to Warren's letter through spokesperson Karoline Leavitt, who criticized Warren but did not address the specifics of Musk's ethical obligations.