As Democrats in Congress claim that billionaire Elon Musk’s business interests conflict with his White House role, those versed in federal ethics say it largely falls on President Donald Trump and his Cabinet — not independent watchdog agencies — to enforce such rules.
That makes it unlikely that Musk, the de facto head of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency as a designated special government employee, could face consequences under conflict of interest law, according to several experts asked to examine his situation through the lens of federal rules.
Democrats accuse Musk of interfering with the operations and contracts of NASA and the Federal Aviation Administration because he is CEO of SpaceX, an entity regulated by the FAA, and its satellite subsidiary Starlink.
