Diyar Guldogan
14 March 2025•Update: 14 March 2025
WASHINGTON
US Senators pushed Thursday for an investigation into President Donald Trump’s news conference with Elon Musk promoting Tesla at the White House this week.
In a joint letter to the Acting Director of the US Office of Government Ethics (OGE), Senators Elizabeth Warren, Adam Schiff, Cory Booker and Richard Blumenthal slammed the "apparent violation" of federal ethics laws.
"Ethics laws on the misuse of government positions serve a practical purpose," the lawmakers wrote, stressing that enforcement of these laws is of the "utmost importance."
Trump shopped for a new Tesla on Tuesday in the driveway of the White House to show support for tech billionaire Musk, who owns the electric car company and leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), where he has overseen deep reductions to the federal workforce.
"I’m gonna buy because number one, it’s a great product. As good as it gets," Trump told reporters.
The lawmakers said Trump and Musk turned the White House into "a temporary Tesla showroom."
"By promoting Tesla during an official press conference with the President while using the White House as a backdrop, Mr. Musk appeared to leverage his senior role in the government and the authority associated with the presidency to recommend Tesla and to imply that the Trump Administration endorses Tesla vehicles," the senators wrote.
