The U.S. Virgin Islands issued a subpoena on billionaire CEO Elon Musk that the Tesla and Twitter head sharply disputed. He referred to the legal action as “idiotic on so many levels.”
The Virgin Islands has an ongoing lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase, arguing that the financial giant was liable for trafficking acts committed by the late financier Jeffrey Epstein. The filing called the bank “indispensable” for Epstein’s operation as well as its concealment.
The island government stated its belief that the convicted offender could have referred Musk to the Wall Street firm to be a client.
Musk laughed off the idea as ridiculous and called into question the April 28 subpoena. He noted that the “cretin” never gave him advice on anything — ever. The CEO criticized the notion that he would need financial advice from “a dumb crook.”
Musk also recalled that JPMorgan Chase floundered in doing business with Tesla ten years ago. At that point, it had the electric vehicle manufacturer’s global commercial banking business, but Tesla withdrew. Musk said, “I have never forgiven them.”
Elon Musk is subpoenaed by the US Virgin islands in its litigation into the role played by JPMorgan in the activity of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein https://t.co/inGqUtLpj0 https://t.co/inGqUtLpj0
— Reuters (@Reuters) May 15, 2023
The Caribbean island hired a private investigator to serve the subpoena, though it was unclear if Musk would comply. It was revealed Monday that the U.S. territory had not been able to locate and serve the CEO.
It is also noteworthy that being the subject of a subpoena is not an implication of wrongdoing.
Twitter users quickly pointed toward a political motivation for the subpoena. One noted that it is part of a fishing expedition where lawyers are “throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks.”
Another agreed with the political motivation and correctly observed that Musk has ruffled the feathers of many in the Democratic Party. They added that he will be a target due to promoting true free speech and exposing government corruption.
Through the Twitter Files, Musk revealed intense collusion between government officials and social media platforms regarding censorship.
The Virgin Islands maintained that Epstein, who died by apparent suicide while jailed in 2019, was enabled by JPMorgan. It accuses the firm of missing warning signs of abuse of young women on Little St. James, the private island he owned in the Caribbean.
