By John Q. Hosedrinker 
In an effort to track Elon Musk’s influence in Texas, The Texas Newsroom requested emails between Governor Greg Abbott and Musk, as well as representatives from the tech mogul’s companies. Initially, the Governor’s office charged for the records but after payment, claimed all records were confidential. They cited reasons such as private exchanges with lawyers, details about policy-making decisions, and information revealing how the state entices companies to invest. Experts have criticized the use of “common-law privacy” to withhold these records, especially given a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that provides limited recourse for those seeking these public records.
Read the original article here
Let’s dive into why Texas Governor Greg Abbott is stonewalling the release of his emails with Elon Musk. The situation stinks of a deliberate effort to shield something from public view, and the reasoning provided by Abbott’s office just doesn’t hold water.
The core issue is simple: transparency. The public has a right to know how its elected officials are communicating, especially with influential figures like Elon Musk, whose actions and decisions have a significant impact on the state of Texas. When an official uses a government email account, everything sent or received through that account should be considered public record, period. The very act of using a government email suggests an expectation of public scrutiny, not a private chat room.
The justification offered by the Governor’s office for withholding the emails is weak, to say the least. Citing “common-law privacy” to protect “intimate and embarrassing” information that isn’t of “legitimate concern to the public” is a convenient smokescreen. First, what exactly constitutes “intimate and embarrassing”? And second, who gets to decide what the public has a legitimate concern about? The public should be making those determinations. It’s the public’s right to see what’s going on, especially when powerful interests are involved.
Let’s be clear: if Abbott’s emails contain truly personal, unrelated information, then the appropriate action would have been to use a personal email account. If official business is conducted, then it should go through official channels. If the Governor is conducting sensitive personal affairs through the same account he uses for official state business, that only raises further questions, not provides a justification for secrecy.
The timing and manner of the denial are also suspicious. The Texas Newsroom, along with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, filed a public records request in April. They paid a fee, and then, after receiving the money, the office suddenly decided to withhold the records. This suggests an attempt to delay, obstruct, and evade transparency. The response also makes it seem as though the office doesn’t believe they are doing anything wrong, rather they are just “rigorously complying” with the law.
This situation is reminiscent of other transparency battles. If there is nothing to hide, the emails should be released. The fact that the office is fighting so hard to keep them private is concerning. It fuels speculation about potential conflicts of interest, undue influence, or even something more troubling. The use of terms like “intimate” and “embarrassing” in relation to communications with a prominent businessman are unusual, and it raises questions that deserve answers.
The fact that Elon Musk’s lobbyists have been effective in influencing state legislation is a key reason for the request. It is vital for the public to have access to the correspondence that may shed light on how these laws came to be. It’s about accountability, and that’s what’s missing here.
The whole thing stinks of an effort to control the narrative. They are trying to hide something, and it is up to us to find out what. The fact that the Governor’s office is citing “common-law privacy” for records between a public official and a businessman is unusual, and it suggests the contents are something that they are not comfortable sharing. This should immediately raise red flags for the public.
The bottom line is this: public officials are accountable to the public. Their communications, especially those that involve matters of public interest, should be open to scrutiny. When they try to hide behind vague privacy claims, it breeds distrust. It undermines the very foundation of democracy. The public has a right to know what’s going on, especially when powerful figures are involved. It’s time for Governor Abbott to stop the games and release the emails.