Elon Musk reportedly funneled a whole bunch of 1000’s of {dollars} into an effort to unseat a Democratic prosecutor in Texas, in accordance with The Wall Street Journal.
The CEO of Tesla and SpaceX was recognized as the first financier behind Saving Austin, a gaggle that focused District Attorney José Garza with inflammatory marketing campaign supplies throughout the Democratic main.
The group distributed fliers that accused Garza of “filling Austin’s streets with pedophiles & killers,” an accusation that lacked any foundation. The fliers featured a picture of Garza subsequent to a bloody teddy bear, together with the message, “The subsequent sufferer might be the one you love.”
According to the Journal, Musk’s monetary involvement within the marketing campaign might have been pushed by a private vendetta, particularly his reported disdain for philanthropist George Soros, who has been a distinguished supporter of prison justice reform and district lawyer candidates like Garza.
Soros, now 94, has contributed thousands and thousands of {dollars} to political motion committees that assist DA candidates centered on justice system reforms and better police accountability. His Texas Justice and Public Safety PAC notably contributed $450,000 to Garza’s 2020 marketing campaign, though Soros didn’t fund Garza’s marketing campaign this yr.
Neither Garza nor his Democratic main opponent, Jeremy Sylestine, have been conscious of Musk’s involvement within the anti-Garza effort, in accordance with the Journal. Both candidates had beforehand condemned the Saving Austin fliers. Despite the assaults, Garza gained the March main with two-thirds of the vote and is predicted to win re-election in November.
Financial information reviewed by the Journal revealed that Saving Austin spent greater than $650,000 on TV advertisements focusing on Garza, with backing from Republican consultants and former staffers of Senator Ted Cruz. Musk’s involvement got here as a shock to many, given his restricted public engagement in native Texas politics.
Musk has been outspoken in his criticism of Soros, whom he has publicly and privately in comparison with a “supervillain.” Musk has even tweeted that Soros reminds him of Magneto, the villain from the X-Men collection. Notably, each Soros and Magneto are Holocaust survivors, and Musk’s feedback drew criticism from Jewish teams. On Joe Rogan’s podcast, Musk mentioned of Soros, “In my opinion, he essentially hates humanity… He’s doing issues that erode the material of civilization—getting DAs elected that refuse to prosecute crime.”
Soros has lengthy been a goal of far-right conspiracy theories, notably these regarding immigration and the so-called erosion of white tradition. Musk has, at instances, engaged with these far-right concepts, elevating eyebrows together with his feedback and political actions.
The Journal additionally reported that Musk might have been extra politically lively than beforehand recognized, particularly in gentle of his July announcement promising to spend thousands and thousands to assist elect former President Donald Trump.