Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) threatened Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk after Russian President Vladimir Putin called Musk a “genius” following reports that Russia is in contact with the billionaire to discuss satellite technology.
Coons Threatens to Subpoena Musk
In a post on the social media platform X, Coons quoted a post by BBC News that shared Putin’s comments about Musk and how Russian officials were in “close” contact with American partners, including Musk, over satellite technology. “One more thing to add to the list of questions for Musk when I subpoena him,” Coons said.
Musk has received staunch criticism from lawmakers and experts alike over the reported slowing down of the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
The billionaire has denied ordering the slowdown, saying that the Starshield system is controlled by the U.S. government and not SpaceX. However, the Trump administration has denied slowing down the network.
On the other hand, the SpaceX CEO said that Ukraine had violated Starlink’s terms by using it for military and defense applications rather than civilian use.
Musk has faced off against economist and Former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich over the slowdown of the Starlink system. Reich called for Democratic Lawmakers to nationalize SpaceX and Starlink, while also defunding Musk.
Chris Coons Says Trump Involved With Starlink Slowdown
In a separate post, Coons also alleged that Trump and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth were “directly involved” with the slowing down of Starlink.
The Delaware Senator said that Trump had been “incorrectly” blaming Ukraine’s “defense” for rising gasoline and diesel prices in the U.S.
He also slammed the administration for “directly violating” the U.S.’s own sanctions against importing Russian oil. “I’m demanding answers about who was responsible and why,” Coons wrote in the post.
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