Points
- An anti-bribery law whose enforcement President Donald Trump suspended has been used by the Department of Justice to win settlements totaling more than $1.5 billion from companies whose customers include Tesla.
- The electric vehicle giant is run by Elon Musk, the billionaire who Trump has tasked to run DOGE, an effort to slash federal government spending, regulations and worker headcount.
- Trump’s order pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act cites the need for U.S. companies to get “strategic business advantages whether in critical minerals, deep-water ports, or other key infrastructure or assets.”
The anti-bribery law whose enforcement President Donald Trump has suspended was previously used by the Department of Justice and financial regulators to win settlements totaling more than $1.5 billion from companies that are major suppliers for Tesla, the electric vehicle giant run by Trump’s ally Elon Musk.
And Trump in his executive order Monday pausing the law banning bribery of foreign officials says, “American national security depends in substantial part” on the U.S. and its companies “gaining strategic business advantages whether in critical minerals, deep-water ports, or other key infrastructure or assets.”
Tesla, and other electric vehicle companies, rely on critical minerals mostly sourced overseas to make batteries.
Critical minerals and deep-water ports were the only two specific advantages mentioned by name in the order, titled “Pausing Foreign Corrupt Practices Act Enforcement to Further American Economic and National Security.”
CNBC has asked the White House, Tesla, and Musk if the tech billionaire played any role in pushing for the order, or the inclusion of language about critical minerals in the directive. The White House declined to comment.
Source: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/02/12/trump-foreign-bribery-law-elon-musk-tesla-minerals.html