When Texas’s own governor calls his emails with Elon Musk too “intimate or embarrassing” for taxpayers to see, you have to wonder just how far the rabbit hole goes when big business and government cozy up behind closed doors.
At a Glance
- Governor Greg Abbott is refusing to release emails with Elon Musk, citing an unusual “intimate or embarrassing” content exemption.
- Abbott’s office is invoking “common-law privacy,” a move transparency advocates call unprecedented for government-business correspondence.
- SpaceX lawyers are also fighting the release, warning of commercial harm if the emails are made public.
- The Texas Supreme Court recently made it easier for officials to withhold public records, fueling outrage over government secrecy.
A Wall of Secrecy in Austin
Governor Greg Abbott’s office has slammed the door on a public records request for all correspondence between his office and billionaire Elon Musk.
The request, part of a joint investigation by The Texas Tribune and ProPublica, has been met with a wall of secrecy and a bizarre legal justification: that the emails are too “intimate or embarrassing” for the public to see.
This is not a drill. The governor of Texas is arguing that his communications with one of the world’s most powerful and influential business titans—a man whose companies have received significant attention from the state government—are a private matter. The governor’s office is now asking the state’s Attorney General to formally block their release.
When “Embarrassing” Becomes a Legal Shield
Transparency watchdogs are howling. The “common-law privacy” exemption is typically used to protect highly personal information like medical records or details about minors. Using it to shield communications between a top elected official and a major corporate leader is virtually unheard of and, critics say, a ludicrous abuse of the Texas Public Information Act.
Adding another layer of secrecy, lawyers for Musk’s company, SpaceX, have also written to the Attorney General, arguing the emails must be kept private because their release would cause “substantial competitive harm.” The public is left to guess what’s behind the curtain: policy favors, inside deals, or simply embarrassing chatter that politicians and their powerful friends don’t want you to see.
A Blow to Texas Transparency
This effort to hide the emails is emboldened by a recent and deeply troubling Texas Supreme Court ruling. In June 2025, the court made it significantly harder for the public to sue and enforce the state’s open records laws against top officials. This decision effectively gives officials like Governor Abbott an “ace card” to play whenever they want to keep the public in the dark.
The message to Texans is clear: when politicians and billionaires get too cozy, the first casualty is transparency. The public’s right to know how their government is influenced by powerful private interests is being trampled, and the very principles of open government are under assault.
