Elon Musk spent over $650K to fund PAC’s attempts to unseat DA José Garza, WSJ reports

Elon Musk covertly funneled hundreds of thousands of dollars into a Travis County election in an attempt to block a prosecutor’s reelection, according to an exclusive report by the Wall Street Journal.

Here’s a breakdown of what the business and finance outlet uncovered.

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Elon Musk funded Save Austin Now PAC tied to ads against DA José Garza

The Tesla and SpaceX CEO primarily funded Save Austin Now, self-described as “a nonpartisan citizen’s group dedicated to Austin’s quality of life.” The group tried (and ultimately failed) to unseat Travis County District Attorney José Garza in the March Democratic primary. Save Austin circulated fliers and texts, along with spending over $650,000 on television ads, to attack Garza, according to sources familiar with Musk’s involvement and Federal Communications Commission and corporate documents.

The political action committee accused Garza of having “radical ideology” and “letting violent criminals out of jail in Austin.” Fliers featured a bloody teddy bear with text that reads, “José Garza is filling Austin’s streets with pedophiles and killers. The next victim could be your loved one.”

The back of the flier depicts a man’s hand covering a child’s mouth, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Despite being significantly outraised by opponent Jeremy Sylestine, Garza won the Democratic primary. In predominantly blue Travis County, Garza will likely also defeat Republican challenger Daniel Betts in the Nov. 5 general election.

In June, Bell County Attorney Jim Nichols, a Republican, dismissed a lawsuit seeking to remove Garza from office. The lawsuit claimed the DA had a policy of not prosecuting certain cases, but Nichols wrote he found no such policies in place.

Two months earlier, another case sought to remove Garza under a “rogue prosecutor” statute. Travis County resident Mary Elizabeth Dupuis claimed Garza’s alleged refusal to prosecute certain criminal offenses qualified as “official misconduct” as outlined by Texas House Bill 17.

Elon Musk’s politics, financial backings

Musk, whose net worth is over $250 billion, has become a highly visible supporter of former President Donald Trump — so much so that he was recently promised a leadership position for the “Government Efficiency Task Force” if Trump is reelected as president in November.

Musk has previously been said to plan to make large donations to a super PAC supporting Trump, which he denies. In July, he made national headlines when rumors began circulating that he had pledged to donate $45 million to Trump every month.

“What’s been reported in the media is simply not true,” Musk told commentator Jordan Peterson during an interview on X. “I am not donating $45 million a month to Trump.”

‘Okay you win’: Musk responds to Taylor Swift’s Harris-Walz endorsement

The Tesla CEO’s politics drew national attention earlier this week when he took a jab at global popstar Taylor Swift.

Swift endorsed the Harris-Walz campaign just minutes after Tuesday’s debate between Harris and trump, and ended her now-viral Instagram post saying, “With love and hope, Taylor Swift, Childless Cat Lady” — a dig at Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance’s recent and repeated criticism of childless women in America.

In response, Musk took to his own platform and wrote, “Fine Taylor … you win … I will give you a child and guard your cats with my life.”

The post garnered criticism, with many users saying Musk’s response was inappropriate.

More on Taylor Swift’s endorsement: Taylor Swift endorses Kamala Harris for president after debate. See Donald Trump’s response