Elon Musk making ‘powerful enemies'
Donald Trump has threatened DOGE and deportation against billionaire Elon Musk amid their ongoing feud over the US President's 'Big Beautiful Bill', which passed the Senate.
Mr Creighton told Sky News host Caleb Bond that Elon Musk is obviously 'very principled'.
'And doesn't really care much about his share price or his wealth, because he stands to lose a lot more of that I would say, by going down this path.'
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The administration earlier this year moved to dismiss the charges against Adams, while suggestively citing its desire for the New York Democrat to assist in its crackdown on illegal immigration. Multiple prosecutors resigned in protest, with one claiming it was a 'quid pro quo' in her resignation letter. And the judge in the case appeared to sympathise. 'Everything here smacks of a bargain: Dismissal of the indictment in exchange for immigration policy concessions,' the judge said. Maxwell's lawyer, David Oscar Markus, has also been remarkably solicitous of Trump and the administration. Openness to a pardon Last week he called Trump the 'ultimate dealmaker' while claiming that the Justice Department had violated a deal with Maxwell. This week, he praised the Trump administration's 'commitment to uncovering the truth in this case' and said he and Maxwell were 'grateful that the government is trying to uncover the truth.' Markus on Friday also suggested an openness to a pardon. 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Back in 2020, the DOJ charged Maxwell with two counts of perjury – on top of the more serious charges she faced – while citing a 2016 civil deposition she gave. In the deposition, Maxwell claimed no knowledge of Epstein's 'scheme to recruit underage girls for sexual massages,' despite later being convicted of helping in the effort. She also claimed she didn't know about Epstein possessing sex toys, which was contradicted by witnesses at her trial. Maxwell's lawyers at the time said 'the questions asked were confusing, ambiguous, and improperly formed.' She was never actually tried for perjury. After her conviction on the more serious charges, prosecutors agreed to dismiss the perjury charges if her conviction stood, citing a desire to avoid further emotional trauma for the victims. But the Trump Justice Department in 2020 still called her credibility into question. In a 2020 filing, it said Maxwell's lies 'should give the Court serious pause' about trusting her. It also said Maxwell's 'willingness to brazenly lie under oath about her conduct … strongly suggests her true motive has been and remains to avoid being held accountable for her crimes.' All of that would seem relevant to today, especially given Trump's demonstrated willingness to wield his power to help people who help him – whether using pardons or anything else. Maxwell, who has years left in her 20-year prison sentence, clearly has motivation to say things Trump wants. That doesn't mean the interviews of Maxwell couldn't glean something important. Even witnesses with credibility problems can provide important information, if it's corroborated with other evidence. But right now, Trump and Co. aren't trying very hard to make this situation look kosher. And Trump's pardon comments take that to another level.
