US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said that Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk’s connections with other nations were “worthy” of being scrutinised.
According to Reuters, Biden was asked if he believed that the “chief twit” posed a threat to US national security and whether the American government should look into his purchase of Twitter with the aid of a Saudi Arabian corporation.
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“I think that Elon Musk’s cooperation and or technical relationships with other countries is worthy of being looked at,” he said.
Last month, the White House denied allegations that the country was considering starting a national security investigation into some of Musk’s businesses, including Twitter.
The US President added that he is not insinuating that Musk is involved in “anything inappropriate”.
“Whether he is doing anything inappropriate, I’m not suggesting that. I’m suggesting they’re worth being looked at.”
Musk’s acquisition of Twitter as per the report has raised concerns that the tycoon’s businesses, including electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, may come under pressure from nations known for attempting to regulate internet speech.
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One example is China. About half of Tesla’s global deliveries in 2017 came from its facility in Shanghai, China.
Musk has previously advocated giving Beijing some power over Taiwan in order to ease tensions between China and Taiwan. The suggestion at the time earned him a reprimand from Taiwan’s de facto ambassador to Washington who said that his country’s “freedom and democracy are not for sale.”
The US has long supported Taipei amid the China-Taiwan tensions, with the US President Joe Biden announcing in September that US forces would defend Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack.
(With inputs from agencies)
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