Tesla CEO Elon Musk is under federal investigation for his conduct in a takeover bid for Twitter announced earlier this year, according to a court filing unsealed on Thursday by Twitter.
Musk announced in April that he would buy Twitter for $44 billion before changing his mind three months later, prompting the social media giant to sue to force him to close the deal. According to Reuters, Twitter’s attorneys wrote that Musk’s lawyers claimed “investigative privilege” to avoid turning over documents related to the lawsuit.
“This game of ‘hide the ball’ must end,” the attorneys wrote in the Oct. 6 filing, condemning Musk’s refusal to turn over certain records and requesting that Delaware Judge Kathaleen McCormick order Musk to turn over relevant documents.
Twitter has been contacted by The Hill for comment on the lawsuit. Drafts of a May 13 email to the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and a presentation to the Federal Trade Commission are among the records withheld (FTC).
According to Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, Twitter’s executives are under federal investigation, and the court filing was a “misdirection.”
Spiro has been contacted by The Hill for further comment.
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO has changed his mind and will complete his purchase of Twitter by Oct. 28. If the deal is not completed by then, the two parties will go to trial in November.
