Elon Musk creates a fresh storm with attempt to quell Republican donation furore
Washington — Tesla chief Elon Musk personally dialled up the head of the Sierra Club environmental group and asked him to help deflect criticism over donations to Republicans, according to an e-mail that the head of the nonprofit sent to his staff. Musk on Saturday called Michael Brune, the Sierra Club’s executive director, and asked that he make public more than $6m in contributions to the group that had been anonymous, Brune wrote in the e-mail. The billionaire also enlisted Brune to vouch for him on Twitter to quell a firestorm over his $38,900 contribution to a committee that benefits congressional Republicans including House majority leader Kevin McCarthy. Brune is now dealing with blow-back within his own organisation for complying with Musk’s requests. Two posts from his personal account and one sent from the Sierra Club’s Twitter handle that were laudatory of Tesla’s CEO and his commitment to fighting climate change rankled some Sierra Club staff, who objected to Brune’s def...
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