Musk Calls Out 2016 Hillary Clinton Tweet As ‘Campaign Hoax’

Elon Musk, embroiled in his own scandal that he has dubbed “Elongate,” jumped into the “Russiagate” story that has now found its way into a federal courtroom.

Over the weekend, Musk called out as a “hoax” a tweet that two-time loser Hillary Clinton posted shortly before the 2016 presidential election.

“Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank,” Clinton wrote in the October 31, 2016, tweet, which included a lengthy note from one of her then-top aides, Jake Sullivan, who now serves as President Joe Biden’ national security adviser.

“This could be the most direct link yet between Donald Trump and Moscow. Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank,” Sullivan wrote. “This secret hotline may be the key to unlocking the mystery of Trump’s ties to Russia. It certainly seems the Trump Organization felt it had something to hide, given that it apparently took steps to conceal the link when it was discovered by journalists.”

Computer scientists have apparently uncovered a covert server linking the Trump Organization to a Russian-based bank. pic.twitter.com/8f8n9xMzUU

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) November 1, 2016

A user on Twitter asked Musk on Friday evening if he planned to crack down on disinformation if his deal to purchase Twitter is finalized.

“I would be interested to know if, when you receive control over the company, anything was done with this at any level. Pls advise soonest,” the user wrote to Musk.

“You are absolutely correct. That tweet is a Clinton campaign hoax for which their campaign lawyer is undergoing a criminal trial,” Musk wrote,  linking to a story from the BBC story about the ongoing trial of Michael Sussmann, who served as an attorney for the Clinton campaign in 2016.

You are absolutely correct. That tweet is a Clinton campaign hoax for which their campaign lawyer is undergoing a criminal trial. https://t.co/avtjEdthmA

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) May 20, 2022

As part of special prosecutor John Durham’s probe into the case, he charged Sussmann with lying to the FBI when he met with an agent about former President Donald Trump’s alleged ties to Russia. Durham and his team of prosecutors say Sussmann “manipulated” the agency in an effort to alter the outcome of the election.

During the trial last week, Clinton’s campaign manager testified that Clinton personally authorized her campaign to share computer data — which has since been debunked — that purportedly linked Trump with a Russian bank.

Robby Mook, her 2016 campaign manager who testified as a defense witness for Sussmann, said he spoke with Clinton about the supposed link, and said the discussion went like, “Hey, we have this and we want to share it with a reporter,” he said.

“She agreed to that,” he said.

In his sworn testimony, Mook also acknowledged that the campaign didn’t know if the data was true. “Part of the point of giving it to a reporter was they could run it down further,” he said.

Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

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