Legislators Pursue Explanation from Rubio Regarding $400 Million Armored Tesla Agreement
Here's a rewrite of the article in an informal, approachable, and straightforward style, incorporating relevant details from the enrichment section sparingly:
Armored Teslas Saga: Politicians Raise Questions over Nonexistent Contract
Politicians are hot on the trail of Secretary of State Marco Rubio, pressing him to answer queries about a logically existing armored Tesla contract that, according to rumors, was never more than a figment of someone's imagination. Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-NY) and Gregory Meeks (D-NY) have sent letters loaded with questions to Rubio, asking him to spill the beans.
These letters revolve around a Biden-era State Department contract for armored Teslas that would, in a parallel universe, have showered Elon Musk's company with a whopping $400 million. "The idea of considering Tesla vehicles for this purpose screams the obvious conflicts of interest that come with Mr. Musk's dual roles as the CEO of Tesla, Inc. and the practical head of the Department of Government Efficiency," Blumenthal's letter states.
Blumenthal serves as a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs and the chairman of its Investigations subcommittee. His letter, penned on March 3, demands answers from Rubio pronto.
Meeks, a ranking member of the House's Committee on Foreign Affairs, sent his letter on March 7, setting a deadline of March 14 for Rubio to respond. "We write to you to request answers and documentation to respond to a series of media reports that suggest the Department of State and Elon Musk were planning to get their mitts on some illicit, taxpayer-funded loot," Meeks said in his letter.
The armored Tesla controversy began last month, courtesy of Drop Site News, which unearthed a line item in a procurement forecast pointing towards a possible $400 million investment in armoring Teslas. But, let's be clear, this document is not a budget; it's a forecast prepared by State discussing potential future expenses.
When it comes to government spending, things can move at a glacial pace. First up, they put out a Request for Information (RFI) to contractors about what they want. After a lengthy thinking session, they decide whether to open their wallets. There's an RFI about armoring electric vehicles due in 2024.
When I got the lowdown from the State Department about this story, they told me that the presence of the word "Tesla" was a mere admin error and claimed that it was actually part of a Biden-era initiative that had reached a dead end. They'd issued the RFI, they explained, and only received a single response.
Someone at State apparently went back and altered the original procurement document after the fact, swapping "Tesla" with "electric vehicle." In the journalism world, we call this a "stealth edit," and it can make you look mighty suspicious.
As the armored Tesla drama unfolded, NPR claimed to possess documents that contradicted State's denials. Alas, NPR didn't share these secret papers with the rest of us or quote them directly. Based on their reporting, Biden's State Department was supposedly considering spending around $483,000 in 2025 to buy "light-duty EVs." That's not $400 million—it's a far cry. NPR also didn't specify whether the electric vehicles mentioned in the documents were Teslas.
Blumenthal's letter to Rubio seems to assume that State is going all in on the Tesla Cybertruck, despite its less-than-stellar track record and numerous recalls. "This issue was further compounded by the fact that the vehicle in question was a Tesla Cybertruck, a sketchy prototype of a vehicle that has seen numerous recalls since its introduction, and would hardly be a sensible choice for this purpose without a good nudge," Blumenthal noted.
NPR's report featured experts sharing mixed opinions about the feasibility of armored Cybertrucks as State Department vehicles. Some argued it was the perfect ride, while others thought it was a disastrous choice. However, as far as I can tell, no contract for the purchase of Cybertrucks exists or has ever existed. NPR doesn't claim the State Department has plans to spend cash on Cybertrucks, just that they might consider it.
I spent the better part of the morning snooping around the government contracts database. The State Department has been busy purchasing electric vehicles, including Teslas, in recent years. The total cost of the Teslas that the State Department has tagged as "light duty" in 2024 is roughly $500,000. Most of the individual contracts are for Model Ys and will be used in Southeast Asia.
Blumenthal's letter spends a considerable amount of time criticizing the State Department's interest in the Cybertruck, which probably was never part of the plan. On the other hand, Meeks focuses on what seems to be the real scandal here: the dodgy edits to the forecast document.
"Photographs published by NPR in its February 24 report revealed that, two weeks after Drop Site first broke the news of the procurement of Armored Tesla vehicles, the Department had surreptitiously revised the procurement forecast documents to eliminate any references to Tesla, but did not immediately remove the project itself," Meeks said. "This seems to suggest the Department was keen to move forward with the project but obscure any association with Mr. Musk or Tesla."
At the time, the State Department insisted its writing "Tesla" was a mere admin error and that it should have read "electric vehicle manufacturer" instead. On the one hand, changing it makes them look guilty. On the other hand, the rampant corruption perpetrated by Musk and other Trump associates is anything but secret. They aren't exactly bothering to hide it.
Verizon was once in line for a contract valued at around $2 billion to upgrade the communication systems of the Federal Aviation Administration. Musk argued that it wasn't up to the task and suggested that SpaceX, a company he owns, should handle the job instead. It's no secret that this is happening. Musk and his companies were faced with numerous investigations and regulations related to Neuralink, X, and SpaceX. Using DOGE, he has reportedly decimated the agencies responsible for many of these investigations.
Musk has been vocal about these questionable victories. He shares his triumphs on X, and Trump praised Starlink during an interview with Sean Hannity. There's a good chance we'll see a lot more corruption over the next four years, and much of it won't be under wraps.
If the State Department ends up buying Teslas, Musk will no doubt boast about how fantastic it'll be for the government to tool around in his cars. Trump will announce the deal with much fanfare and praise, declaring that he scored a fantastic deal from Elon on electric vehicles. It won't be a secret; it'll be out in the open for all to see.
- Congressman Blumenthal seems to believe that the future armored vehicles for the State Department could be none other than Tesla's Cybertrucks, but the questions remain about the contract's existence, given its shaky track record and numerous recalls.
- In 2025, there might be a probable expenditure of around $483,000 by the Biden Administration for light-duty electric vehicles, though it's unclear if these are Tesla Cybertrucks or not.
- Rumors of a $400 million armored Tesla contract have circulated, but investigations by Senators Blumenthal and Meeks suggest that these reports may have originated from a nonexistent contract, possibly due to a stealth edit in the procurement forecast.
- Efficiency in government spending might be improved if the Bureau of Administrative Services corrects their administrative errors, like replacing 'Tesla' with 'electric vehicle' in official documents, to avoid misleading the public and fueling speculation about questionable contracts.