Fox News Anchor Presses GOP Senator On Elon Musk’s Ties to China, Influence Over His Party

Fox News Sunday host Shannon Bream pressed Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) over the weekend on Elon Musk’s ties to China and his influence over the Republican Party.

After Bream noted Musk’s role in sinking House Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) initial spending deal last week, she noted “Democrats are raising their concerns. Including Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.”

“She’s written a letter to congressional leaders, Democrats and Republicans, saying that he got this deal killed. In part, she thinks, possibly because of a bipartisan measure that would screen U.S. investments in critical sectors in China. She says, ‘Musk’s investments in China and ties with its government have only grown over the last few years. The Shanghai plant in Tesla is its largest car manufacturing facility. That facility produced about 50% of Tesla’s global automobile output over the last year,’” Bream continued, asking:

A number of lawmakers, including our next guest, Senator Ben Cardin, your colleague, have expressed concerns about connections about businesses where he has benefited on a foreign level, but also here at home, the US contracts, the government contracts that he has. What do you say about that potential conflict of interest or appearance of it?

Mullin dodged the question and attacked President Joe Biden, saying, “Yeah, it’s laughable because the same Democrats turned a blind eye to the 27 shell companies that the Biden family had with Brisa, with companies in Europe, with companies all over China who was buying ridiculous payments for access to the president when he was vice president through Hunter Biden.” He added:

And now when he was president, through Hunter Biden and the tombs of millions and millions of dollars. Remember, that’s why Hunter Biden was actually pardoned for a crime. These same Democrats turned a blind eye to an absent cognitive failing president. And now they’re pointing fingers at a president and his consultants around him.
It’s honestly, I wonder if they really think the American people are that stupid. It’s angry. It makes me angry. But it actually says they don’t care about actually changing America for the best. They do. They were more interested in Dryden riding a wedge and driving a wedge between the American people rather than putting this country back on track.

I wonder if they forgot the November 5th election. They lost. They lost because they took us in the wrong direction. And people want change. And that’s what President Trump and the people around him are going to bring to America.

Bream followed up by asking about Musk’s influence, “Okay. So Elon Musk chief among them, it seems as though is most influential at this moment in time. So with that in mind, when you look forward to this potential influence, what do you make of those who say, first of all, he’s got a lot of power and money to primary Republicans who don’t go along with the plan? Do you think your colleagues should face those primaries? And also, do you worry about the optics that you as a legislative body, Congress, senators, congressmen are in some way giving up some of your authority or your legislative responsibility if you are so influenced by somebody outside of an elected branch?”

“The only people that are saying they’re being influenced by Elon Musk are the Democrats– making accusations of that,” Mullin replied, adding:

At the end of the day, we’re going to do our job. We are going to listen to someone that’s been very successful in life because that’s what you do. You surround yourself with good people. You’ll honestly make better choices. We see that all the time.

But for them to start saying that we’re going to make our decisions based on Iran, we’re going to make informed decisions. What Iran gives us at the end the day, we’re going to be representing those that elected us for me, the great state of Oklahoma. And then I also had the privilege of representing the United States at the same time. Those are going to be the way we make our decisions. And everybody around there is going to do the same thing.

If Elon wants to go out and take a personal shot at somebody, hey, he’s a private citizen. Look at my social media. And while they take a look at their social media, I promise you, people are giving their opinion all the time on that. So why are they just pointing to Iran about it? In fact, you can go look at a lot of their billionaires that have come after all of us at the same time.

They’re just not doing it out front like Elon does because Elon, someone that works in the front, he doesn’t hide where he’s at. That’s why he’s been very successful. And I really I really take a hard offense to the Democrats, even accusing of us. In fact, they’re the ones that’s been corrupt over the last four years, not Republicans. And so they’re saying that somehow we’re going to sell ourselves out. Give me a break.

Watch the clip above via Fox News.