WASHINGTON — Sen. Chris Murphy on Monday for an early investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia’s involvement on Twitter after Elon Musk took over the social media company.
Murphy, D-Conn. , who heads a key subcommittee on foreign relations, sent a letter to the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, known as CFIUS, requesting a review of the investment for Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, adding some members of the Saudi royal circle of relatives and the Kingdom of Qatar.
“The target of those reviews is clear: the national security interests of the United States and American citizens,” Murphy wrote to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, who heads CFIUS.
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The committee is tasked with reviewing transactions that may result in a U. S. company being controlled through a foreign entity, Murphy said, adding that CFIUS will also have to review non-controlling foreign investments in certain U. S. companies that have sensitive non-public knowledge about U. S. citizens.
“Aside from the vast reserves of knowledge Twitter has collected about U. S. citizens,” he said, “any foreign ownership of Twitter leading to increased censorship, disinformation, or political violence is a serious national security issue. “
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In his letter, Murphy called Saudi Arabia “one of the most repressed countries in the world, with little or no tolerance for freedom of expression. “in Istanbul in 2018.
Late last week, Kingdom Holding Co. Saudi Arabia and Prince Alwaleed bin Talal’s personal office said they would help Musk fund his Twitter deal by renewing his stock ownership worth about $1. 89 billion, according to a tweet tweeted via Alwaleed.
“Dear frifinish ‘Chief Twit’ @elonmusk. Together until the end @Twitter,” Prince Alwaleed tweeted.
Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, headed by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, owns only about 17% of Kingdom Holding, according to Reuters.
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