Texas Governor Really Doesn't Want You To Know What's In His Emails With Elon Musk

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Elon Musk has been engaged successful nan authorities of Texas recently. The metropolis of Austin allowed him to begin operating Tesla Model Y robotaxis on its streets, and he helped termination a measure that would person regulated autonomous vehicles. He besides had his hands successful a fewer different laws that benefit some Tesla and Musk's different companies, particularly SpaceX. So earlier this year, ProPublica submitted a petition to spot nan emails betwixt Governor Greg Abbott's agency and Musk, arsenic good arsenic his associates. Now, nan Governor's agency is fighting their release, claiming they include "intimate and embarrassing" information, ProPublica reports.

If this sounds familiar, it's astir apt because Tesla precocious fought nan merchandise of information connected what it told Austin officials astir its plans for its alleged robotaxis. This clip around, though, nan Governor's agency reportedly agreed, astatine slightest initially, to merchandise nan requested emails. In fact, they charged nan Texas Newsroom $244.64 to do so, but aft nan cheque cleared they changed their tune, claiming each those emails are really confidential, and they want Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton to support it that way. 

According to Abbott's nationalist accusation coordinator, releasing those emails "would person a chilling effect connected nan frank and unfastened chat basal for nan decision-making process." He besides claimed they see "information that is friendly and embarrassing and not of morganatic interest to nan public, including financial decisions that do not subordinate to transactions betwixt an individual and a governmental body." Hmmm... friendly and embarrassing, you say? 

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Now, earlier you spell assuming that intends Abbott utilized his charismatic authorities email relationship to talk weird activity worldly pinch Musk, you should cognize nan Texas AG's agency includes a conception that explains nan common-law privateness objection to nan Texas Public Information Act and states that arsenic agelong arsenic it isn't related to charismatic authorities transactions, "personal financial information" is considered "generally highly friendly aliases embarrassing and must beryllium withheld." So while they can't beryllium location isn't immoderate weird activity worldly successful location unless they merchandise nan emails, nan existent contents of nan emails whitethorn beryllium acold much boring than you'd hope.

That doesn't mean it's normal to hide months of emails betwixt nan Governor's agency and 1 of nan richest group successful nan world down nan common-law privateness exception, though. When ProPublica said with Bill Aleshire, a Texas-based lawyer who specializes successful nationalist records law, he was reportedly "appalled" by Abbott's effort to do so. He said "it's not unusual" for nan authorities to usage nan objection to support records from going public, "[b]ut he's utilized to it being cited successful cases that impact children, aesculapian information aliases different highly individual accusation — not for emails betwixt an elected charismatic and a businessman."

Unfortunately for each of america and particularly those who still unrecorded successful Texas, nan state's Supreme Court precocious decided that only it tin find whether aliases not authorities officials are complying pinch nationalist records laws correctly. "Right now, it appears they've charged you $244 for records they person nary volition of giving you," Aleshire told ProPublica. "That is shocking."

For now, though, it's up to Texas AG Ken Paxton's agency to determine whether aliases not to merchandise nan emails. And arsenic we each know, Paxton is simply a morally upright man who you tin always dangle connected to do nan correct thing.