NEW: We recently heard that the Trump administration was leaning on the government of Gambia to help Elon Musk. For weeks, we made phone calls, wrote letters and knocked on folks’ doors to try to confirm it. But we were stuck.
So @js_kaplan and I got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
So @js_kaplan and I got on a plane to Banjul. 1/
Here is what we confirmed: After Musk’s rise to power in the U.S. government, the State Department has repeatedly coaxed, lobbied and browbeat this tiny West African country into giving business to Musk’s satellite company Starlink. propublica.org/article/trump-…
From notes and firsthand sources, we also learned of a remarkable meeting: When the U.S. ambassador went to a Gambian minister’s office to push him to approve Starlink’s license, she also noted that U.S. foreign aid there was under review
The Gambians took it as a veiled threat.
The Gambians took it as a veiled threat.
This is the headquarters of that government agency, which has become the target of a monthslong pressure campaign by the U.S. government in lockstep with Starlink 
It’s not just Gambia. We got internal cables, notes and other records that show how U.S. diplomats have intervened on behalf of Starlink in at least four other developing nations. All while the U.S. has withdrawn foreign aid from those same countries
The campaign has not been subtle. As one Starlink employee put it: “We’re pushing from the top and the bottom to ram this through.”
We wanted to know if this is what the State Department normally does. Turns out no.
Ten current and former agency officials said what we found is an alarming departure from standard diplomacy — because of both the tactics used and the person who would benefit most from them
Ten current and former agency officials said what we found is an alarming departure from standard diplomacy — because of both the tactics used and the person who would benefit most from them
“If this was done by another country, we absolutely would call this corruption,” said Kristofer Harrison, a former high-level State Department official in the George W. Bush administration. “Because it is corruption.”
Starlink didn’t respond to a request for comment. The White House said Musk has nothing to do with deals involving Starlink and Trump does not tolerate conflicts of interest.
The State Department said Starlink helps remote areas get the internet and “any patriotic American should want to see an American company’s success.”
Read our full story here, with @js_kaplan @JustinElliott and @Amierjeski. And if you have a tip about conflicts of interest, foreign aid or Starlink, reach out on Signal: 508-523-5195 propublica.org/article/trump-…
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