Abbott Refuses to Share ‘Too Intimate’ Musk Emails Despite $244 Public Records Fee

Despite having charged a news outlet nearly $250 to review emails between Governor Greg Abbott and Elon Musk, the Texas governor’s office is now refusing to release the communications. The office cashed the check from The Texas Newsroom before claiming all records were too confidential to share. How convenient.

The governor’s team is hiding behind some pretty eyebrow-raising excuses. They claim the emails contain “intimate and embarrassing” information not of legitimate public concern. Really? Between a governor and a billionaire businessman? What exactly are they talking about that’s so “intimate”?

Officials claim Abbott-Musk emails are too “intimate” to share publicly. What could a governor and billionaire possibly discuss that’s so embarrassing?

SpaceX lawyers jumped into the fray too, arguing that releasing the emails would expose “commercial information” and cause “substantial competitive harm” to the company. Their letter to the attorney general was itself heavily redacted – secrecy about the secrecy.

The Texas Newsroom had requested all communications between Abbott and Musk dating back to last fall. The governor’s office estimated the review would take over 13 hours and demanded $244.64 upfront. Money paid, excuse provided. No word on whether they’ll refund the cash if they permanently withhold everything.

This records battle comes as Musk has increasingly flexed his political muscle in Texas. Abbott has publicly praised the billionaire for relocating major business operations to the state. Musk and his lobbyists were strikingly active during the recent legislative session, shaping new laws.

The attorney general’s office now has 45 business days to decide whether the public deserves to see these supposedly too-intimate communications. Meanwhile, transparency advocates worry about the precedent being set, especially following a recent Texas Supreme Court ruling that limits enforcement of public records laws. Attorney Bill Aleshire has criticized Abbott’s position, noting that common-law privacy typically applies to highly personal matters, not business communications.

For now, Texans can only speculate about what’s in those emails. Are they discussing state policy? Business deals? Their favorite breakfast tacos? Whatever it is, the governor clearly doesn’t want anyone to see it – even after pocketing the search fee.