Joshua Klein is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jklein@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow is facing backlash after suggesting billionaire Elon Musk’s government contracts be terminated due to “national security” risks allegedly posed by the Trump-supporting entrepreneur. The presenter faces accusations she is seeking to have the government “punish” the Tesla CEO for endorsing the former president.
In a stunning on-air segment Monday, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow called for an overhaul of the U.S. government’s contracts with Elon Musk’s companies, asserting that Musk’s influence has become a threat to “national security.”
“Even if Trump doesn’t win, the Defense Department and NASA are going to need a new arrangement for all their rockets and for all the multi-billion dollar contracts Elon Musk’s companies have with the U.S. government,” she said, citing Musk’s association with former President Donald Trump.
Though Musk is often credited for accelerating American space capabilities to unprecedented levels and for fostering technological independence, Maddow argued that the government should consider “unwinding” from multi-billion dollar partnerships with Musk’s SpaceX and other enterprises.
“The U.S. government is going to have to either unwind from all of those contracts or Elon Musk’s companies are going to have to unwind from him,” she insisted, calling the current situation an “untenable reality in national security terms now that we know what we know about Elon Musk.”
The remarks ignited backlash, with critics accusing her of “fascism” and of attempting to damage the reputation of one of America’s most prominent innovators due to his support for Trump.
“These are literally the words of a fascist,” wrote Republican Sen. Mike Lee of Utah.
“How dare @elonmusk hold political views that are contrary to those held by @maddow!? In a free society, freedom of thought cannot be tolerated,” mocked professor and leading public intellectual Dr. Gad Saad.
“Wanna talk ‘un-American,’ ‘Threat to democracy!’ or ‘Facist?’ Here it is–Maddow calling for @elonmusk
to be punished by the gov’t for supporting a candidate the deep state bullies hate & fear,” wrote former Arkansas GOP Gov. Mike Huckabee.
“THIS is why you must VOTE today & vote @realDonaldTrump.” he added.
Musk’s SpaceX has been instrumental in advancing U.S. space capabilities, holding contracts with NASA for astronaut transport to the International Space Station and with the Pentagon for launching military satellites vital for national defense. The private company is critical in transporting American astronauts and deploying defense satellites reliably, making it a linchpin in both military and civilian space missions.
The matter comes as Musk faces attacks from many on the far-left for his endorsement of Donald Trump.
In September, Maddow said that Trump didn’t “think that elections are a real thing,” and that it was “evil” for him to attack Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden.
Last week, she said she was “grateful” for Democratic presidential nominee Vice President Kamala Harris and her speech at the Ellipse in Washington, D.C. because it will “effectively reconsecrate” the ground.
