I haven't been able to find info on whether or not this is explicitly illegal, but it is a complete and utter violation of the Executive Branch's official ethics code. It's called Misuse of Position and they describe it as a literal definition of corruption: https://www.oge.gov/web/oge.nsf/Resources/+A+Refresher+on+Misuse+of+Position
Like you said, though, not that any of this matters at all. I'm actually surprised the page I linked is still up.
I see a lot of people saying this, but I don't see how this falls under the Hatch Act provisions, since Elon is not running for elected office nor is he even an elected official. My understanding of the Hatch Act is that it prohibits public funds being used for campaign activities, directly or indirectly, but I don't see what political campaign would benefit from this. Sure, maybe Trump's potential attempt at a third term, but you can't use that hypothetical (regardless of the likelihood) as a basis for any legal action at this stage. I want to be clear, I think this is blatantly corrupt and disgusting, and I think it should be illegal if it somehow isn't, I'm just confused about the invocation of the Hatch Act specifically. Maybe I'm missing something.
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u/Bob_Lawablaw 24d ago
This is illegal, right? Not that it matters, obviously, I'm just pretty sure it is.