Congressmen demand answers from Department of State over investigation on illegal enrichment of Elon Musk.

Two leading congressional Democrats on foreign policy pressed Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday regarding a now-canceled $400 million plan to purchase armored electric vehicles from Tesla.

Representatives Gregory Meeks of New York, a ranking member of the House Foreign Relations Committee, and Jared Moskowitz of Florida, a top Democrat on the oversight subcommittee, called the plan a “serious violation of federal procurement laws” that would “unlawfully enrich” Elon Musk, who holds a high-profile White House position.

The two congressmen filed a formal request for information from the Department of State on 7 March, promptly reacting to an investigation published last week by the National Public Radio (NPR) on a suspicious acquisition agenda, which has been redacted.

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Democratic Senator Richard Blumenthal also demanded details from Rubio on the proposed Tesla purchase.

Critics argue that the plan to acquire Cybertrucks raised concerns about Musk leveraging his role in the government for personal gain. A Department of State spokesperson previously told NPR the $400 million figure was "only an estimate," and the purchase had been scrapped.

The study of Teslas as armored vehicles began under the Biden administration.

A Biden-era document obtained by NPR shows the State Department initially allocated just $483,000 for electric vehicle acquisition in 2025—far from the $400 million listed in a procurement spreadsheet. When reports surfaced, a Department of State official edited the entry to say “armored electric vehicles” instead of “armored Tesla,” a change the lawmakers flagged in their letter.

Later, that entry in the purchase spreadsheet disappeared entirely (pictured above).

The lawmakers asked Rubio whether officials intentionally inflated the purchase amount, who authorized the change, and for proof the contract has been “definitively abandoned.” While NPR’s document suggests the $400 million plan originated under Trump, it remains unclear who added it to the spreadsheet or under whose direction.

Ethics experts have raised concern about Musk’s conflicts of interest in plain sight, since at least two of the billionaire’s six companies have multibillion-dollar contracts with the federal government, while some of them – including Tesla and SpaceX – are under investigation by government watchdog agencies.

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A new Cybertruck starts at around $82,000, and about 38,000 were sold last year, according to Cox Automotive data obtained by NPR. The truck was unveiled in 2019 and began reaching customers in 2023, but has since gathered numerous complaints about rust, finger pinches and defective accelerator pedals among others.

Reports about Donald Trump rewarding his billionaire donors from taxpayers' money are piling up.

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