May 14, 2025

The Honorable Pam Bondi The Honorable Jamieson Greer

Attorney General Acting Director
Department of Justice U.S. Office of Government Ethics
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. 250 E Street, S.W., Suite 750
Washington, DC 20530 Washington, DC 20024

Scott Gast Arne B. Baker

Designated Agency Ethics Official Acting Inspector General
White House Office U.S. Department of State
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W. 1700 N. Moore St. (SA-39)
Washington, DC 20500 Arlington, VA 22209

Dear Attorney General Bondi, Acting Director Greer, Mr. Gast, and Mr. Baker:

We ask that you investigate whether the Trump Administration is intervening to benefit
Starlink, which is owned by Elon Musk, as it negotiates tariff agreements and other matters
with foreign governments.

Last week, The Washington Post reported that “[a] series of internal government messages . . .
reveal how U.S. embassies and the State Department have pushed nations to clear hurdles for
U.S. satellite companies, often mentioning Starlink by name,” and often in the context of trade
negotiations.1 These reports indicate that Mr. Musk may be using his official role and his
proximity to the President as leverage for his own personal financial benefit — even if it comes
at the expense of American consumers and the nation’s foreign policy interests. These actions
raise questions about whether Mr. Musk or other administration officials may be violating ethics
or other laws.

We ask that your offices investigate this matter. The State Department Inspector General should
conduct a broad review of the role of the Department in tariff negotiations, and whether there
have been illegal or inappropriate efforts to assist Starlink or other private-sector entities at the
expense of the American public. The Department of Justice (DOJ) and the White House’s
Designated Agency Ethics Official should investigate whether Elon Musk or other
administration officials may have violated federal ethics law by abusing their official roles for
the benefit of Starlink.

1
The Washington Post, “U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show,” Jeff Stein and
Hannah Natanson, May 7, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/elon-musk-starlink-trump-
tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook,twitter&utm_medium=social.
Musk founded and owns SpaceX, which runs a satellite internet service called Starlink. Starlink
operates in over 120 markets, and often depends on permits from foreign nations to access their
markets.2 Starlink reportedly has an aggressive goal of gaining 1 million new customers per
year.3 But until recently, the company has struggled to secure agreements to operate in certain
emerging markets, and in 2024 the company’s subscriber growth appeared to slow, according to
some reports.4

However, since President Trump took office and Musk became a top Trump advisor,5 Starlink
has seen a rush of new countries permitting the company to enter their markets.6 Soon after
President Trump announced tariffs, Lesotho “awarded Musk’s firm the nation’s first-ever
satellite internet service license,” and “is far from the only country that has decided to assist
Musk’s firm while trying to fend off U.S. tariffs.”7 Several other countries — including India,8
Vietnam,9 Bangladesh, and others10 — approved Starlink in recent weeks, right as they were
seeking a reprieve from the threat of the Trump Administration’s unpredictable tariffs. And just
yesterday, Musk announced that Saudi Arabia approved Starlink, just as the White House and
U.S. tech companies announced defense and trade agreements with Saudi Arabia and a Saudi

2
X, Tweet from Elon Musk, January 17, 2025, https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1880388456955932894?lang=en; The
Washington Post, “Someone’s actually winning the trade war. It’s Elon Musk and Starlink.,” Matt Bai, April 30,
2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/30/elon-musk-starlink-bangladesh-tariffs/.
3
Reuters, “For Musk's Starlink, India approval could unlock emerging markets,” Nivedita Bhattacharjee, March 25,
2025, https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/musks-starlink-india-approval-could-unlock-emerging-
markets-2025-03-25/.
4
PC Mag, “How Far Can Starlink Go? Growth for SpaceX's Satellite Internet Slows in the US,” Michael Kan,
August 7, 2024, https://www.pcmag.com/news/how-far-can-starlink-go-growth-for-spacexs-satellite-internet-slows-
in.
5
Financial Times, “Corporate America cosies up to Elon Musk as billionaire deepens ties to Donald Trump,” Joe
Miller, Claire Bushey, Rafe Uddin, and Hannah Murphy, February 3, 2025, https://www.ft.com/content/c8ed615b-
7058-434c-8eea-d9fa9a9da376.
6
The Washington Post, “U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show,” Jeff Stein and
Hannah Natanson, May 7, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/elon-musk-starlink-trump-
tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook,twitter&utm_medium=social.
7
Id; Lesotho Communications Authority, “PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENT – LICENSING OF THE FIRST
SATELLITE INTERNET SERVICE IN LESOTHO,” April 14, 2025, https://lca.org.ls/public-announcement-
licensing-of-the-first-satellite-internet-service-in-lesotho/; Ground Up, “Lesotho gives in, approves Starlink licence,”
Sechaba Mokhethi, April 15, 2025, https://groundup.org.za/article/lesotho-gives-in-approves-starlink-licence/.
8
The New York Times, “Elon Musk’s Starlink Pushes Its Way Into India,” Alex Travelli, March 13, 2025,
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/13/business/starlink-india-musk.html.
9
Market Screener, “Vietnam to allow SpaceX's Starlink satellite internet service,” Khanh Vu and Francesco
Guarascio, March 26, 2025, https://www.marketscreener.com/news/latest/Vietnam-to-allow-SpaceX-s-Starlink-
satellite-internet-service-49432599/.
10
Washington Post, “U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show,” Jeff Stein and
Hannah Natanson, May 7, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/elon-musk-starlink-trump-
tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook,twitter&utm_medium=social.

2
company.11 Starlink stands to earn billions of dollars from unlocking access to these new
markets.12

In at least one case, there is evidence suggesting that Musk himself implicitly conditioned U.S.
tariff favors on a country’s approval of Starlink. According to a recent op-ed, in February 2025, a
Bangladeshi government official visited the White House and first met with a U.S. Trade
Representative official about trade matters. After that meeting, the official was led to another
room at the White House to meet with Musk. According to the report, “Musk wanted to discuss
ongoing negotiations between Starlink and Bangladeshi regulators” and apparently implied that
Bangladesh “would not be able to get favorable trade terms from the United States if Starlink
wasn’t allowed entry into the Bangladeshi market.”13 In April 2025, just weeks after that
meeting, Bangladesh approved Starlink to enter the country — after years of resistance.14
Starlink’s website now states that it will access the Bangladeshi market “starting in 2025.”15

Reporting by The Washington Post indicates that the Trump Administration is explicitly seeking
to assist Starlink as the Administration engages in tariff negotiations with multiple countries. For
example, State Department documents “indicate that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has
increasingly instructed officials to push for regulatory approvals for Musk’s satellite firm at a
moment when the White House is calling for wide-ranging talks on trade.”16 Several countries
appear to have gotten the message. “In India, government officials have sped through approvals
of Starlink with the understanding that doing so could help them cement trade deals with the
administration.”17 Meanwhile, “[a]t least two countries have explicitly discussed or moved

11
The White House, “Fact Sheet: President Donald J. Trump Secures Historic $600 Billion Investment Commitment
in Saudi Arabia,” May 13, 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/fact-sheets/2025/05/fact-sheet-president-donald-j-
trump-secures-historic-600-billion-investment-commitment-in-saudi-arabia/; Bloomberg Government, “Musk
Strikes Starlink Deal With Saudi Arabia During Trump Visit,” Omar El Chmouri and Leen Al-Rashdan, May 13,
2025, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-05-13/musk-strikes-starlink-deal-with-saudi-arabia-during-
trump-visit?srnd=homepage-americas; Reuters, “U.S. tech firms secure AI deals as Trump tours Gulf states,”
Reuters, May 13, 2025, https://www.reuters.com/world/middle-east/saudi-arabia-partners-with-nvidia-spur-ai-goals-
trump-visits-2025-05-13/.
12
Washington Post, “U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show,” Jeff Stein and
Hannah Natanson, May 7, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/elon-musk-starlink-trump-
tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook,twitter&utm_medium=social.
13
The Washington Post, “Someone’s actually winning the trade war. It’s Elon Musk and Starlink.,” Matt Bai, April
30, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2025/04/30/elon-musk-starlink-bangladesh-tariffs/; The
Business Standard, “Chief Adviser Yunus, Elon Musk hold talks to bring Starlink to Bangladesh,” February 14,
2025, https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/chief-adviser-yunus-elon-musk-hold-talks-bring-starlink-bangladesh-
1068401.
14
Anadolu Agency, “Bangladesh approves Musk's Starlink satellite internet services,” Najmus Sakib, April 6, 2025,
https://www.aa.com.tr/en/asia-pacific/bangladesh-approves-musks-starlink-satellite-internet-services/3530001.
15
Starlink, Map, https://www.starlink.com/us/map.
16
The Washington Post, “U.S. pushes nations facing tariffs to approve Musk’s Starlink, cables show,” Jeff Stein and
Hannah Natanson, May 7, 2025, https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2025/05/07/elon-musk-starlink-trump-
tariffs/?utm_campaign=wp_main&utm_source=facebook,twitter&utm_medium=social.
17
Id.

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toward adopting Musk’s Starlink as a means of avoiding Trump’s tariffs and negotiating a better
trade deal with the United States.”18

Suggesting that a foreign government adopt Starlink in exchange for relief on tariffs appears to
be a textbook case of corruption. DOJ’s Public Integrity Section is responsible for investigating
potentially criminal conflicts of interest like this.19 The White House’s Designated Agency Ethics
Official can similarly investigate potential ethics violations by White House officials. We ask
that the DOJ and the White House investigate whether any officials have pursued a quid-pro-quo
exchange of Starlink access for tariff favors in violation of federal ethics law. We also ask that
the Office of Government Ethics examine this matter and recommend any potential violations for
appropriate enforcement action.

As part of those investigations, you should determine whether Mr. Musk’s meeting with
Bangladeshi officials violated federal ethics law. As a Special Government Employee, Musk is
subject to federal rules prohibiting conflicts of interest. By meeting with a foreign representative
at the White House in his official capacity about new contracts for a company he owns, Musk
appears to have used his government position for private gain, in violation of 5 CFR §
2635.702.20 Furthermore, by doing so as part of the Bangladeshi official’s White House visit
about trade policy and reportedly linking Starlink’s approval to trade policy, Musk may have
participated in a particular matter in which he has a financial interest, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §
208.21

Furthermore, the involvement of State Department officials also raises additional questions,
including whether these officials may be subverting the public’s interests in favor of Mr. Musk’s
personal financial interests as they negotiate new tariff agreements — and whether they have
been directed by Mr. Musk or President Trump to do so. The State Department Inspector General
should review this matter.

Thank you for your attention to this important matter.

Sincerely,

18
Id.
19
U.S. Department of Justice, “Report to Congress on the Activities and Operations of the Public Integrity Section
for 2021,” 2021, p. 11, https://www.justice.gov/criminal/media/1256431/dl?inline#:~:text=11-,FEDERAL
%20JUDICIAL%20BRANCH,involving%20the%20federal%20judicial%20branch.
20
5 CFR § 2635.702
21
18 U.S.C. § 208

4
Elizabeth Warren Mark R. Warner
Ranking Member United States Senator
Committee on Banking, Vice Chairman, Select
Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee on Intelligence

Jeanne Shaheen Jack Reed

United States Senator United States Senator
Ranking Member, Senate
Foreign Relations Committee

Richard Blumenthal Jeffrey A. Merkley

United States Senator United States Senator
Ranking Member, Permanent
Subcommittee on
Investigations

Martin Heinrich Edward J. Markey

United States Senator United States Senator