'Grift': Elon Musk slammed after Tesla’s name disappears from State Dept. doc for $400 million contract
Billionaire Elon Musk — CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and X.com and leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — is promising transparency and full disclosure with his DOGE efforts. But on Wednesday night, February 12, a U.S. State Department procurement document was edited to remove Tesla's name. This followed media reports of a $400 million contract for Tesla.
The document was timestamped December 23, 2024.
According to Bloomberg News reporter Dana Hull, the document now lists a "generic designation" of "armored electric vehicles."
READ MORE: 'It's just fiction': Senate Republican slams House GOP's 'fruitless exercise'
Hull reports, "Tesla's name had appeared in the document near that of BMW AG, whose armored X5 and X7 SUVs the State Department is also planning to buy."
The alteration of the procurement document is inspiring a lot of reactions on the Musk-owned X.com.
Musk himself tweeted, "I'm pretty sure Tesla isn't getting $400M. No one mentioned it to me, at least."
Reporter Sawyer Merritt noted, "The contract amount is still listed as being for $400 million. Other details are the same."
READ MORE: 'So much for lowering costs': Outrage grows over Musk's death wish for consumer protection
Jeremy Martinus posted, "Breaking news: The government's $400M Tesla contract is now labeled 'Armored Electric Vehicles.' Translation: 'We're not playing favorites, we just love stainless steel tanks that scream Mad Max chic.'"
Former Irvington, New York Mayor Brian C. Smith commented, "How about this @elonmusk from @business 'The State Department amended a $400 million Armored Tesla budget item to remove the company name after reports emerged questioning Elon Musk’s role in government spending.' Please at least try to hide your graft! @StateDep."
DropSiteNews' Ryan Grim tweeted, "Tesla is forecast to win the largest State Dept contract of 2025 -- $400 million for 'Armored Tesla' -- according to procurement documents we reviewed. (And @elonmusk before you accuse us of doxxing, the docs are public)."
Crooked Media's Tommy Vietor, a former Barack Obama staffer, wrote, "The State Department is about to steer a $400 million contract to Elon Musk...but no conflict of interest with him trying to control all US government spending."
READ MORE: 'Easy-money guy': Investor says 'Mitch McConnell is right' — Trump tariffs will make economy 'worse'
