High-level policy discussions that could benefit Tesla and its biggest shareholder Elon Musk are underscoring the political complexities of the world’s richest man playing a central role in the Trump White House.

They are also giving ammunition for Democrats to go on the attack against Musk, who at breathtaking speed is remaking a federal government by offering buyouts to federal workers and seeking to dismantle various agencies in the name of saving the government money.

Democrats on Thursday were firing shots after several news outlets reported that the State Department planned a $400 million purchase of armored Tesla Cybertrucks based on a procurement forecast published in December — after President Trump won the election but before his inauguration.

“You saw the story about the contract Tesla was apparently on the verge of getting for $400 million for the Tesla truck,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), who also pointed to a pause on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) by the Trump administration as a bad sign.

Trump earlier this week signed an executive order pausing enforcement of the FCPA, which prohibits U.S. businesses from bribing foreign government officials to benefit their interests.

“It is a big deal,” Van Hollen said. “Number one, it sends a very bad message. It sends the message that anything goes in terms of practices."

Van Hollen also drew a link between the law’s suspension and Trump’s decision to fire 17 inspectors general across the federal government last month.

“Unfortunately, it’s the same message the Trump administration is sending here at home. When you get rid of all the inspectors general, you open the door for corruption. It seems to be a theme,” he added.

The procurement issue is a fair bit more complicated than Tesla and Musk being handed $400 million.

It was launched under the Biden administration, which had sought to make more investments in electric vehicles (EV). Trump has signaled a shift in the opposite........

© The Hill