The SpaceX founder once again responds to a flight attendant's accusation that he 'exposed' himself to her on his private jet in 2016 after claiming that the attack is politically motivated.
- May 21, 2022
AceShowbiz - Elon Musk has once again responded to an allegation that he exposed himself to a flight attendant. Taking some time to engage in a conversation about the matter, the business magnate has launched a challenge to the accuser to prove who's speaking the truth.
"I have a challenge to this liar who claims their friend saw me 'exposed,' " he tweeted on Friday morning, May 20, "describe just one thing, anything at all (scars, tattoos, …) that isn't known by the public."
"She won't be able to do so, because it never happened," the 50-year-old, who has agreed to purchase the social media app for $44 billion, added. He went on clarifying, "And, for the record, those wild accusations are utterly untrue."
Previously, Elon also took to the micro-blogging site to deny the allegation, believing that it is politically motivated. "The attacks against me should be viewed through a political lens," he wrote on Thursday, "this is their standard (despicable) playbook - but nothing will deter me from fighting for a good future and your right to free speech."
The social media post came hours after Business Insider published a story claiming that Elon's company SpaceX paid the flight attendant $250,000 in 2018 to settle the misconduct claim. Citing a declaration signed by a friend of the woman, the publication reported that "the attendant worked as a member of the cabin crew on a contract basis for SpaceX's corporate jet fleet. She accused Musk of exposing his erect penis to her, rubbing her leg without consent, and offering to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage."
According to the outlet, Elon asked for more time to respond to the allegation, saying there was "a lot more to this story." He allegedly told the site, "If I were inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it comes to light." The publication also said Elon characterized the story as a "politically motivated hit piece" after he declared that he "will vote Republican."
Elon later denied that he ever responded to Business Insider while they were reporting the story. "It was clear that their only goal was a hit price (sic) to interfere with the Twitter acquisition. The story was written before they even talked to me," he tweeted.
"They began brewing attacks of all kinds as soon as the Twitter acquisition was announced," the Tesla CEO added in a separate tweet. "In my 30 year career, including the entire MeToo era, there's nothing to report, but, as soon as I say I intend to restore free speech to Twitter & vote Republican, suddenly there is."
However, John Cook, the investigations editor at Insider, claimed that the publication reached out to Elon about the story in question before he tweeted about voting Republican. Nicholas Carlson, the editor-in-chief of Insider, the parent publication of Business Insider, also stood by the story. "We stand by our story, which is based on documents and interviews and speaks for itself," he said in a tweeted statement after Elon's denial.
