Thread by @lmcgaughy

NEW: As part of my effort to track @ElonMusk's influence in the Texas Capitol, I asked for all of his emails with Gov. Greg Abbott for the last several months.

Abbott's office rejected my request, saying some of the records are too "intimate and embarrassing" to release. #txlege

Specifically, the governor's lawyer argues that Abbott and Musk's emails are "intimate and embarrassing and not of legitimate concern to the public, including financial decisions that do not relate to transactions between an individual and a governmental body." [my emphasis]

#txlege #ElonMusk

Abbott's lawyer also had other reasons for why the governor's emails with #ElonMusk should not be released. He said they include:
- private exchanges with lawyers
- details about policy-making decisions
- and information that would reveal how the state entices companies to invest here. #txlege

I file a lot of records requests. This time, I encountered something unusual.

Abbott's office charged me $244 to search for his comms with #ElonMusk. They said it would take 13 hours of staff time.

But after the check was cashed, Abbott's office told me they determined all if the records were private. #txlege

Abbott's office could have redacted his emails with #ElonMusk. They could have released some and withheld others.

Instead, they said none of them could be released.

Ken Paxton's office, which referees public records disputes, will decide whether I get the records. #txlege

A lawyer for @SpaceX also doesn't want the emails with Gov. Abbott released. He cited just one main reason: They contain “commercial information whose disclosure would cause SpaceX substantial competitive harm.”

Here is the story.

#txlegekut.org/politics/2025-…