SEC Official Sought Staff's No-Politics Pledge on Musk Lawsuit
The case went forward, but the unusual request has contributed to a growing sense of unease inside the agency’s enforcement division, according to people familiar with the matter.
The Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk days before President Donald Trump took the oath of office.
Photographer: Andrew Harrer/BloombergA high-ranking official at the Securities and Exchange Commission asked enforcement staff members in January to declare that a case they wanted to bring against Elon Musk was not motivated by politics, an unusual request that the staffers refused, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The case went forward, but that request from Commissioner Mark Uyeda, a Republican who is now serving as the commission’s acting chairman, has contributed to a growing sense of unease inside an SEC division that handles high-stakes securities cases, according to the people, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation.