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Republican New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu is facing sharp criticism after suggesting that Elon Musk is too rich to be affected by possible conflicts of interest.
Sununu appeared on CNN’s State of the Union Sunday when he was asked if Musk has any conflicts of interest being the owner of companies such as SpaceX which have held government contracts worth billions while also heading an outside commission charged with leading efforts to cut government spending.
“I like the fact that he’s, in a way, so rich [that] he’s removed from the potential financial influence,” Sununu claimed.
Musk, who also leads the electric car maker Tesla, spent about a quarter of a billion dollars of his fortune, estimated to be about $430 billion, to help Trump win the White House.
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“I don’t think he’s doing it for the money,” Sununu added. “He’s doing it for the bigger project and the bigger vision of America. He doesn’t need the dollars.”
Sununu immediately faced a deluge of criticism for his comments.
In a column for MSNBC, author and producer Steve Benen wrote: “Let me see if I have this straight … Americans shouldn’t be overly concerned about the president-elect empowering a billionaire GOP megadonor with power and influence, a businessman with extensive private-sector interests here and abroad, and we should be indifferent to the potential for the megadonor’s conflicts of interest?”
He added: “Why? Because, according to Sununu, … the world’s wealthiest person isn’t overly concerned about making money?”
Sununu, who was trashed by Trump for backing former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley during the Republican primary, called Trump “f****** crazy” in 2022 during a Washington roast.
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New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu introduces Republican presidential hopeful and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley before she speaks at a campaign event in Franklin, New Hampshire on January 22, 2024. Sununu is facing criticism for his comments about the wealth of Elon Musk (AFP via Getty Images)
Benen argued that Sununu had “tried and failed to defend Trump describing Americans he disagrees with as ‘the enemy within’” and to “defend Trump amid reports that he said in private that he wished he had military generals like the ones who served Adolf Hitler.”
“Sununu found himself in the unenviable role of trying to defend the indefensible in order to bolster the man who had spent the year mocking and scolding him,” he added.
George W Bush White House Ethics lawyer Richard Painter wrote on X: “Is this the new normal? Billionaires are too rich to have conflicts of interest. Bull.”
Democratic New Hampshire State Representative David Meuse also took to X to slam Sununu.
“According to @GovChrisSununu, if you happen to be the world’s wealthiest biological organism, your motives can no longer be questioned — even if you donated $277 million in campaign contributions to Trump and other GOP pols to secure your seat at the table,” he said.
Meanwhile, Republican strategist Jeff Timmer wrote that the governor “has learned that once you jettison all honor and integrity by digging a hole of relativism you might as well keep digging.”
Ed. Note: If this was you and you are interested, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP.
“Dear PoPville,
I was biking home from a doctor appointment a little before noon on Friday, and stopped at a red light on New Hampshire & L st nw. There was a woman across the street who was looking fine in her dark blue (I think they were) scrubs. I might be crazy, but it felt like we kept checking each other out. By the third time,
if we were in a romcom, one of us would have waved. Sorry I didn’t, but if you are reading this and date men, reach out to the Prince if you are interested in that man on the bike. Have a great weekend!”
Ed. Note: If this is you, please email [email protected] so I can put you in touch with OP. PoPville is not affiliated with either party, please proceed with any potential connection at your own risk using caution as you would any online encounter. For those curious about past missed connections, many have been made and when possible I’ll try to update when/if more are made.
A New Hampshire motorcyclist who had been missing since the Fourth of July was found dead in Shelburne late Thursday night.
State police say they received a request from the Berlin Police Department just after 7:30 p.m. Thursday for help locating 41-year-old Wesley Grondin — the Berlin man was last seen riding his motorcycle on Saturday, July 4, and had been reported missing.
Troopers received a call a couple of hours later, around 10:10 p.m. Thursday, from a concerned resident who had been out looking for Grondin along Route 2 in Shelburne. The person told police they had found Grondin dead, along with his Harley Davidson.
According to state police, a preliminary investigation determined that Grondin was riding his Harley on Route 2 westbound in Shelburne when, for reasons that remain under investigation, he crossed over into the opposing lane, struck a post, and came to a final rest in the wood line.
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The crash is believed to have occurred just before midnight on July 4. At this time, police say there’s no indication that another vehicle or person was involved.
All aspects of the crash remain under investigation, however. Anyone with information that may assist investigators is asked to contact Trooper Hunter Newsham at Hunter.P.Newsham@dos.nh.gov.
KEENE, N.H. — A Nashua woman who had a town clerk falsely certify a marriage that never happened so she could claim her late partner’s property has been sentenced to seven days in jail, placed on probation and ordered to repay thousands to his estate.
Attorney General John Formella said Wendy Leedberg‑Snow, 60, turned to Winchester Town Clerk Jim Tetreault after the death of her longtime partner, Eric Leedberg — who was born in Lowell — using the falsified license to pose as his spouse and lay claim to property from his estate, an effort prosecutors describe as an attempt to rewrite the couple’s history for financial gain.
“This case involved a deliberate effort to manipulate official government records and exploit the death of a loved one for personal financial gain,” Formella said in a press release announcing the sentencing. “Our vital records system depends on honesty and integrity, and those who seek to corrupt that system will be held accountable. I want to thank the investigators and prosecutors whose work ensured justice for the victim’s family.”
According to Leedberg’s obituary, he was 53 when he died on Oct. 12, 2023, following a two‑year battle with cancer.
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In the obituary, Leedberg-Snow is described as his “significant other.”
Prosecutors said Leedberg‑Snow moved quickly after his death, relying on Tetreault’s signature to fabricate a marriage that never occurred and position herself as Leedberg’s surviving spouse.
Tetreault, who was a New Hampshire justice of the peace at the time, falsely signed the marriage license claiming he had officiated the couple’s wedding. He later admitted he never performed any ceremony for Leedberg‑Snow and Leedberg and had no personal knowledge of them ever being married.
Leedberg‑Snow used the fraudulent certificate to obtain property from Leedberg’s estate, including a pickup truck and trailer, and later attempted to influence a witness connected to the scheme.
Leedberg‑Snow pleaded guilty in Cheshire County Superior Court in Keene to felony counts of solicitation to commit vital records fraud, title fraud, theft by misapplication of property and witness tampering.
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In addition to her seven‑day jail term, she must serve two years of probation, pay $4,600 in restitution, return the truck and trailer to Leedberg’s estate and comply with a suspended three‑and‑a‑half‑ to seven‑year prison sentence, which means the sentence only takes effect if she violates the conditions of her probation.
Tetreault, who continues to serve as Winchester’s town clerk and “fully cooperated with the State’s investigation,” according to prosecutors, pleaded guilty in April to notarial misconduct, a Class A misdemeanor. As part of a negotiated plea, prosecutors dropped a felony charge of vital records fraud. He was sentenced to 90 days in the house of corrections, all suspended for two years on good behavior, and ordered to pay a $1,000 fine plus a $240 penalty assessment.
He resigned his commissions as a justice of the peace and bail commissioner and agreed not to seek recommissioning as a justice of the peace or notary public during the two‑year suspension period.
Tetreault could not be reached for comment at his office number.
Follow Aaron Curtis on X @aselahcurtis, or on Bluesky @aaronscurtis.bsky.social.
