Johnson calls for review of roughly $110 million in state broadband grants awarded to Elon Musk’s Starlink
AUSTIN, TEXAS — Sen. Nathan Johnson, Democratic candidate for Texas AG, unveiled an anti-corruption plan that puts suspicious state contracting awards at the center of the November election.
As an example, Johnson contends that state broadband awards to Elon Musk‘s company, Starlink, warrant legislative scrutiny after testimony at a June 24 Senate hearing indicated that Starlink received 99% of grant awards with a bid nearly triple the cost of a competing bid.
See some of the coverage of Johnson’s anti-corruption plan below:
Dallas Morning News: Democratic AG candidate targets Musk grants
“Democratic attorney general candidate Nathan Johnson on Friday called for a review of recent state grants giving Elon Musk’s satellite internet provider Starlink about $110 million.
Johnson, a Dallas state senator, said the Starlink broadband awards should face additional legislative scrutiny as he unveiled an anti-corruption policy plan that he is making a centerpiece of his statewide campaign.
“I am not declaring that corruption was at work in this instance. I am saying that it sure looks like it,” Johnson said in an interview.”
NBC News: Texas Democrat vows to investigate Musk’s SpaceX if elected attorney general
“A Texas Democrat is launching a political attack ahead of the midterm elections on one of his state’s most influential residents, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, effectively putting an investigation of his business dealings on the ballot.
The Guardian: Texas Democratic political candidate says SpaceX grants ‘sure looks like’ corruption
Johnson, who won the Democratic primary runoff for attorney general in May, said the award by Texas Republicans of 99% of the available grant funds to a company led by billionaire Musk, a Donald Trump ally, was lopsided.
“I am not declaring that corruption was at work in this instance. I am saying that it sure looks like it,” Johnson, a state senator, told the Dallas News. “Public confidence in the bidding process has been undermined.”
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