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For Elon Musk, the US Justice Department’s merchandise of 3 cardinal further files related to transgression investigations of Jeffrey Epstein past period was instantly embarrassing. Attention successful peculiar fell connected emails Musk sent the financier respective years aft helium pleaded blameworthy to solicitation of prostitution and of procurement of minors to prosecute successful prostitution successful Florida and registered arsenic a enactment offender.
“What day/night volition beryllium the wildest enactment connected your island?” Musk wrote successful November 2012, for example, appearing to question an invitation to Little Saint James, Epstein’s backstage land successful the Caribbean.
While determination has been nary confirmation that immoderate specified sojourn occurred, the messages contradict Musk’s longstanding insistence that helium didn’t cognize Epstein well and had always rebuffed his overtures. Other files uncover that an subordinate of Musk’s spent weeks corresponding with Epstein down the scenes of a large play for Tesla and its embattled main executive.
Musk did not instrumentality a petition for comment.
A batch of emails reviewed by WIRED shows that successful 2018, aft Musk posted connected societal media that helium was “considering taking Tesla private” successful a determination that ne'er came to fruition, 1 of the CEO’s surrogates was sounding retired Epstein for proposal connected financing the woody and imaginable committee members for a reorganized Tesla. They besides went backmost and distant implicit Musk’s enactment qualities.
Musk was having a hard clip successful 2018, beset by challenges astatine his companies portion his progressively erratic behaviour connected societal media seemed to instrumentality its toll connected his nationalist image. That June, arsenic the satellite waited successful suspense for the rescue of a Thai younker shot squad trapped successful a submerged cave, he’d decided to impact himself. What helium offered was a miniature submersible that helium claimed could transport the children done constrictive underwater tunnels to safety. The thought was rejected arsenic impractical, with 1 cave diver dismissing it arsenic a publicity stunt. Musk lashed retired astatine this antheral connected Twitter, calling him a “pedo guy.” He aboriginal deleted the station and apologized, but doubled down connected the insult successful emails to BuzzFeed News, which published them.
The incidental led to that idiosyncratic filing a suit against Musk, alleging defamation, and Musk yet won the tribunal lawsuit a twelvemonth later. But amid the unfolding PR disaster, Musk took counsel from the high-powered lobbyist and advisor Juleanna Glover arsenic helium sought to bounds blowback. It was Glover who would aboriginal backchannel with Epstein astir a program to instrumentality Tesla private.
The thought of buying Tesla was sketchily outlined successful different now-infamous Musk tweet. “Am considering taking Tesla backstage astatine $420,” he posted connected August 7, 2018, adding: “Funding secured.” In fact, helium had not secured those funds, and connected September 27, the US Securities and Exchange Commission filed fraud charges against Musk, alleging “securities fraud for a bid of mendacious and misleading tweets.” Musk rapidly settled to the tune of a $20 cardinal fine, with Tesla paying an adjacent penalty, and stepped down arsenic president of the electrical conveyance company. (Musk neither admitted nor denied the information of the SEC’s allegations.)
In the weeks betwixt Musk’s reckless tweet and the SEC charge, Glover was moving down the scenes to marque the woody a reality—and sought Epstein’s counsel, emails published by the DOJ show.
“If you are advising re: sovereign funds looking to assistance a salient institution spell private, fto maine cognize if I tin assistance w immoderate approp further information,” Glover wrote to Epstein connected August 12. Epstein responded: “Clever.”
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