In a new report, Elon Musk, CEO of both Tesla and SpaceX, is accused of sexual misconduct. Without directly commenting on the case, Musk suggests that it is part of a Democratic campaign of “political attacks.”
The alleged misconduct occurred in 2016, but it was only recently revealed after a friend of the alleged victim detailed the allegations to Insider.
According to the report’s source, a lady was employed as a flight attendant for SpaceX on Musk’s corporate plane and was urged by SpaceX employees to pursue certification as a qualified masseuse at her own cost.
Musk allegedly acted inappropriately during a massage on a flight to London in 2016. The following is how Insider described the incident:
The flight attendant told her friend that the billionaire SpaceX and Tesla founder asked her to come to his room during a flight in late 2016 “for a full body massage,” the declaration says. When she arrived, the attendant found that Musk “was completely naked except for a sheet covering the lower half of his body.” During the massage, the declaration says, Musk “exposed his genitals” and then “touched her and offered to buy her a horse if she would ‘do more,’ referring to the performance of sex acts.”
After refusing the alleged demand for sexual favors, the flight attendant reportedly told her friend that she started getting booked less often on SpaceX’s jet.
In 2018, the flight attendant hired an employment lawyer and reported the incident to SpaceX.
SpaceX reportedly ended up giving her $250,000 as part of a severance package. The publication added:
The attendant’s complaint was resolved quickly after a session with a mediator that Musk personally attended. The matter never reached a court of law or an arbitration proceeding. In November 2018, Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant entered into a severance agreement granting the attendant a $250,000 payment in exchange for a promise not to sue over the claims.
She also reportedly signed an NDA, and Insider made it sound like that’s why the story is coming out based on the unnamed friend’s account of what she was told by the flight attendant.
Tesla policy is never to give in to false claims, even if we would lose, and never to fight true claims, even if we would win.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 31, 2021
According to Insider, when they reached out to Musk for comment, he requested more time to respond and stated that there is “a lot more to this story.”
“If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light,” he wrote, calling the story a “politically motivated hit piece.”
Musk mentioned politically motivated attacks on him yesterday after he must have been aware of the story and asked Insider for more time to respond.
Over the last few months, the CEO has increased his criticism of the Democratic Party and “wokeness,” and yesterday he declared that he would vote Republican in the future:
In the past I voted Democrat, because they were (mostly) the kindness party.
But they have become the party of division & hate, so I can no longer support them and will vote Republican.
Now, watch their dirty tricks campaign against me unfold … 🍿
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 18, 2022
The CEO claimed that “political attacks” on him “will escalate dramatically in the coming months” even as he knew the questions from Insider would likely lead to this story coming out.
Sources: Dailywire, Cbsnews, Npr