- GOP senators took control of Elon Musk’s mobile phone number this week.
- They don’t want to talk about it.
- Having a direct line to musk is a hot goods in the Doge era.
The Republican senators have just got their hands on Elon Musk’s mobile phone number, giving them a direct line to the man who reshaped the federal bureaucracy at the request of President Donald Trump.
Many of them don’t want to talk about it.
“I’m not going to answer this question, okay? What is your next one?” Senator Roger Marshall of Kansas said. “I don’t think it’s someone’s business.”
Business Insider approached half a dozen republican senators at the Capitol on Thursday to ask them if they had text conversations with Musk, or if they plan to do so in the future. Only one – Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina – confirmed the CNN report that Musk gave his number during a lunch with most of the Senate Republicans on Wednesday.
“I did not send a text with him.
Having the power to call Musk is a precious goods in the Doge era, with the promise to influence the man working with a team of lieutenants to close entire agencies, access sensitive systems and stifle federal funding flows – all without the official contribution of the congress. Sometimes his power seemed to go beyond that of the cabinet secretaries and compete with that of Trump himself.
This may be why some GOP senators do not even want to recognize if they were offered its number.
“I do not start in all of this. If you have a political question, I am happy to answer this,” Senator Rand Paul from Kentucky told BI. “That’s all I have for you. Sorry.”
“I’m not going to confirm or deny this,” Senator Eric Schmitt told Missouri to Bi. “I have met him twice in the past two weeks. He has been very accessible.”
There is also an awareness of power that musk – not only the de facto doge leader, but the owner of what could be the most important communication platform in the world, X – Y is due to. And some of them do not hide their own sense of fear against the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.
Senator Ted Cruz did not confirm or deny that Musk gave his number on Wednesday. But the Texas Republican said that he had the number of musk for years and that he is a “good friend”. When asked what the billionaire businessman looked like about the text, Cruz embarked on a two and a half minute dissuistence on the shine of musk and business sense.
“If you assume that intelligence is distributed on a bell curve, there are about 8 billion people on planet Earth, someone should be on the edge of the bell curve and its name is Elon,” said Cruz. “I had the chance to know a lot of really intelligent people. I have never met anyone at a distance like Elon Musk.”
Republican senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin – who said that his own hypothetical text communication with Musk “would remain private” – said that he and his colleagues were shy to have the Musk number because they are “sensitive to people with access” and the potential for abuse “.
He also proposed unfolding praise for Musk.
“I think he is a remarkable individual. He is probably one of the most brilliant, accomplished and effective human beings to walk on the surface of the earth,” said Johnson, adding that he was “very appreciated by the fact that he is ready to devote his very expensive time” to Doge.
Wednesday’s lunch with GOP senators was only one of the many meetings that Musk had with the Republicans of Congress in the past two weeks. Later in the day, he met a larger group of Républicains in the Chamber, as well as a smaller meeting with the Republicans on the Doge subcommittee. It is in addition to a meeting last Thursday with the Caucus of the Senate Doge and a meeting on Tuesday evening with the president of the room Mike Johnson.
This arises while some Republicans become concerned with the lack of contribution from the Congress on Doge’s expenditure decisions, some urging the White House to send federal expenditure cuts to the congress in the form of a “story” bill, as required by the law on the control of the deduction. Senator Johnson told Bi that he wanted to see votes on the “every few weeks” stories.
For the moment, it seems that Musk only gives his mobile phone number to the senators. Maryland’s Andy Harris representative, the president of the Hard-Right House Freedom Caucus, told Bi that Musk had not read his number during his meeting with the Républicains de la Chambre on Wednesday evening.
“I would probably have written if he did,” said Harris, even if he insisted that he did not feel despised. “It is easily available, it is a daily person who devotes himself to the conclusion of the Trump agenda. So I’m perfectly satisfied with this. I don’t need a phone number.”
The representative Tim Burchett du Tennessee, a member of the Republican subcommittee of Doge, told Bi that he “would not comment” if he had the Musk number. But he also said he wouldn’t make him an SMS.
“I’m not going to be one of those who bother him,” said Bucchett.
businessinsider
