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SpaceX founder and CEO Elon Musk mentioned in a tweet late Thursday that “wild accusations” towards him should not true after a Enterprise Insider report mentioned the aerospace firm had paid $250,000 in severance to a non-public jet flight attendant who accused the billionaire of sexual misconduct.
The report, which cited interviews and paperwork obtained by Insider, mentioned the girl claimed that in a therapeutic massage she was giving Musk he uncovered his erect penis, touched her thigh with out her consent and supplied to purchase her a horse if she carried out intercourse acts. CNBC couldn’t independently confirm these allegations.
Whereas Musk didn’t specify which accusations he was referring to in his tweets, he advised Insider there was “much more to this story” as he requested the publication for extra time to answer the article’s claims, in accordance with the outlet.
“If I have been inclined to interact in sexual harassment, that is unlikely to be the primary time in my complete 30-year profession that it involves mild,” Musk wrote to Insider, in accordance with the story. He additionally mentioned its article was a “politically motivated hit piece,” the outlet reported.
Insider reported that it moved the publication deadline after Musk requested extra time to reply, however that he by no means made additional touch upon the allegations. Christopher Cardaci, authorized affairs vice chairman at SpaceX, was quoted by Insider as saying, “I am not going to touch upon any settlement agreements.”
Later, Musk, with out referring on to the report, tweeted that “for the document, these wild accusations are completely unfaithful.”
“The assaults towards me needs to be considered by a political lens – that is their normal (despicable) playbook,” he tweeted.
The Insider report comes as Musk, who can also be CEO of Tesla, is engaged in an effort to buy social media large Twitter. Friday morning, Musk tied the controversy to his deal to purchase Twitter. “In my 30 yr profession, together with the complete MeToo period, there’s nothing to report, however, as quickly as I say I intend to revive free speech to Twitter & vote Republican, immediately there may be …” he wrote.
Insider reported that the alleged incident occurred in Musk’s room aboard a SpaceX jet on a flight to London in late 2016, after the world’s richest particular person requested her to provide him a “full physique therapeutic massage.”
CNBC reached out to Musk and SpaceX for touch upon these allegations however didn’t instantly hear again.
“We stand by our story, which is predicated on paperwork and interviews and which speaks for itself,” an Insider spokesperson mentioned in response to a request for remark.
The allegations reported Thursday are detailed in a declaration signed by a good friend of the flight attendant.
That declaration was made to assist a criticism that the girl’s lawyer had made to SpaceX’s human assets division in 2018 after she felt that her work alternatives on the firm dwindled after she declined to interact in sexual contact with Musk, in accordance with Insider.
Neither the good friend, who spoke with Insider, nor the girl, who declined to be interviewed by the publication, was recognized by title within the article. The flight attendant signed a nondisclosure settlement as a part of her settlement with SpaceX, in accordance with the report.
Insider reported that the good friend mentioned the flight attendant advised her the story about Musk shortly after it occurred.
The outlet reported that the good friend mentioned she determined to disclose the girl’s allegation with out first asking the flight attendant as a result of she felt obliged as a survivor of sexual assault to reveal the declare towards Musk.
Insider reported that the flight attendant’s criticism to SpaceX’s HR division was “resolved shortly after a session with a mediator that Musk personally attended.”
The information outlet mentioned Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant in November 2018 entered into an settlement to have the girl paid $250,000 in severance in alternate for promising to not file a lawsuit related to her claims.
Learn the complete Insider report right here.
— CNBC’s Weizhen Tan and Michael Sheetz contributed to this report.
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