Texas Governor Greg Abbott's office has finally released nearly 1,400 pages of emails exchanged with tech billionaire Elon Musk's companies, but most of the records are completely blacked out. The emails were obtained by The Texas Newsroom after a long battle with lawyers representing Abbott and SpaceX, who claimed that releasing them would reveal trade secrets and confidential information.
The documents reveal little about the relationship between Abbott and Musk or the extent of Musk's influence over state government. About 200 pages are redacted, while the rest are either already public or provide minimal information. The emails include old incorporation records for SpaceX, agendas for a governor's committee on aerospace and aviation, and even an invitation to happy hour.
Abbott's office claimed that releasing the emails would be "intimate and embarrassing" and reveal private exchanges with lawyers, policymaking decisions, and confidential information about how the state entices companies to invest. However, open government experts say this is a classic example of Texas' transparency problem, which has been exacerbated by a 2015 Supreme Court decision that made it harder to obtain records documenting interactions between governments and private companies.
Tom Leatherbury, director of the First Amendment Clinic at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, said that corporations are willing to assert that information is confidential, while governmental bodies are less likely to second-guess them. This has created a situation where companies can withhold records without fear of being investigated for potential trade secrets.
The release of these emails is also significant because Musk has invested heavily in Texas and relocated many of his businesses' headquarters to the state. He has hired lobbyists who have successfully pushed for laws that benefit his companies, making him one of the richest people in the world.
Releasing the emails was a costly process, with the governor's office initially claiming it would cost $244.64 to review them. Lawyers representing Abbott and SpaceX then sought to keep the records secret, arguing they would harm SpaceX's competitive advantage. However, the Texas Attorney General ultimately sided with Abbott and Musk, releasing only about 200 pages that were not redacted.
Experts say this is a classic example of how weakened public records laws can lead to more secrecy in government. The governor's decision to release thousands of pages but black out most of them has been described as "meaningless" by Leatherbury, who notes that it may have been an attempt to show the volume of records responsive to the request.
The Texas Newsroom has asked the Office of the Attorney General to reconsider its decision and order the release of the Musk emails. If a member of the public believes a government agency is violating the law, they can try to sue, but recent court decisions have made it more difficult to enforce public records laws against high-ranking officials like governors.
The documents reveal little about the relationship between Abbott and Musk or the extent of Musk's influence over state government. About 200 pages are redacted, while the rest are either already public or provide minimal information. The emails include old incorporation records for SpaceX, agendas for a governor's committee on aerospace and aviation, and even an invitation to happy hour.
Abbott's office claimed that releasing the emails would be "intimate and embarrassing" and reveal private exchanges with lawyers, policymaking decisions, and confidential information about how the state entices companies to invest. However, open government experts say this is a classic example of Texas' transparency problem, which has been exacerbated by a 2015 Supreme Court decision that made it harder to obtain records documenting interactions between governments and private companies.
Tom Leatherbury, director of the First Amendment Clinic at Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law, said that corporations are willing to assert that information is confidential, while governmental bodies are less likely to second-guess them. This has created a situation where companies can withhold records without fear of being investigated for potential trade secrets.
The release of these emails is also significant because Musk has invested heavily in Texas and relocated many of his businesses' headquarters to the state. He has hired lobbyists who have successfully pushed for laws that benefit his companies, making him one of the richest people in the world.
Releasing the emails was a costly process, with the governor's office initially claiming it would cost $244.64 to review them. Lawyers representing Abbott and SpaceX then sought to keep the records secret, arguing they would harm SpaceX's competitive advantage. However, the Texas Attorney General ultimately sided with Abbott and Musk, releasing only about 200 pages that were not redacted.
Experts say this is a classic example of how weakened public records laws can lead to more secrecy in government. The governor's decision to release thousands of pages but black out most of them has been described as "meaningless" by Leatherbury, who notes that it may have been an attempt to show the volume of records responsive to the request.
The Texas Newsroom has asked the Office of the Attorney General to reconsider its decision and order the release of the Musk emails. If a member of the public believes a government agency is violating the law, they can try to sue, but recent court decisions have made it more difficult to enforce public records laws against high-ranking officials like governors.
. I mean, 1,400 pages is a lot of info, and you'd think we'd get some juicy details about their relationship or how much influence Musk has on the state government. But nope, most of it is redacted 
. It's like they're trying to keep secrets secret.
. It makes it super hard for citizens to get access to info that should be public. I mean, what if Musk was using his influence to shape policy and decisions? We shouldn't have to guess or rely on speculation about how much he's really involved.
. Like, what do they think we're gonna learn from a few happy hour invitations and incorporation records? It just seems like a classic case of government trying to hide something 
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. I mean, the governor claims it would be "intimate and embarrassing" but it seems like they just wanted to keep some stuff under wraps. The fact that only about 200 pages were released while the rest are completely blacked out is pretty suspicious.
. It's like, corporations and their CEOs can just claim whatever info is confidential and then the government doesn't bother checking. It's not exactly what you'd call transparency.
and he's invested a ton of money in Texas. He's got his own lobbyists and they're pushing for laws that benefit him. So when Abbott's office releases these emails, it's like they're saying, "Hey, we're being super transparent... just not too transparent." It all feels kinda manipulative to me 
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I'm really disappointed in this whole thing. You'd think that public figures like Governor Abbott and Elon Musk would want their emails to be open for scrutiny, right? 
Come on, guys! If you're really concerned about protecting your business interests, maybe don't do deals with the government in the first place. 
It's not like the public doesn't already know that Musk has invested a ton of money in Texas and is basically making it his own personal playground.
. The governor and Musk could have been all transparent about their meetings and deals, but instead they let lawyers do their thing and now it's all hush-hush 
. Open government experts are right, this is a classic example of how public records laws aren't working properly in Texas 
.
. And can we really blame 'em for redacting some stuff? Trade secrets and all that 
. It's just good sense to protect sensitive info. And let's be real, the emails that did come out don't exactly paint Musk as some kinda mastermind of Texas politics 
. The TX Newsroom is being a bit dramatic if you ask me 
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. But let's be real, we all know how much SpaceX has invested in Texas and how many jobs Musk's created down there. It's a classic case of him pulling strings from behind the scenes 
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. Plus, think about all the other times we've seen politicians try to keep their dealings with big corporations under wraps 
... it's just a game they play.
. Like, who needs 1,400 pages of mostly empty records? Sounds like Abbott's office was trying to spin this whole thing as some kind of transparency issue 
. Give me a break!
. It's good that someone's holding the gov office accountable and pushing back against all this secrecy 
.
! Like, I get that some info is private and all, but 1,400 pages of emails are a lot to redact from. And can you believe the governor's office claimed it would cost $244.64 to review them? That's just nuts 
. It's like they're trying to hide something 
. The fact that Musk has invested so much in the state and then gets all these benefits 
.