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Lauren McGaughy@lmcgaughy · Nov 19, 2025

🧵Remember that story we broke a few months ago with @propublica @TexasTribune? It said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott not…

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Summary

A months-long investigation by ProPublica, Texas Tribune, and KUT into Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's redacted emails with Elon Musk reveals how government agencies shield corporate communications from public records requests. Nearly 1,400 pages were released but heavily redacted under competitive bidding exemptions, illustrating how political leaders protect powerful business figures from transparency.

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  1. #1

    🧵Remember that story we broke a few months ago with @propublica @TexasTribune? It said Texas Gov. Greg Abbott not wanting to release his office's emails with Elon Musk. Well, we have an update. #txlege

  2. #2

    Our request for emails between Abbott and Musk kicked off monthslong saga. First, Abbott's office said it'd cost $244 to review the records. We paid up. Then, they didn't want to release the records at all. Abbott's office asked the AG to keep the emails secret. #txlege

  3. #3

    We got our decision in August. The AG said Abbott's office must release some emails with Elon Musk. About a month later, we got nearly 1,400 pages from the governor's office. I was stoked. Until I took a look at the records. They were almost completely redacted. #txlege #FOIA

  4. #4

    Many of the records appeared to be redacted under the Public Information Act's exemption for information related to competition or bidding. Musk did not respond to requests for comment. Abbott's spokesman said the governor followed the law. kut.org/politics/2025-… #txlege

  5. #5

    Experts said this case illustrates how hard it's become to get info about government's dealings with business. Corporate titans like Elon Musk don't want to release records, politicians side with them and the public is left in the dark, they said. kut.org/politics/2025-…

  6. #6

    This is my latest Elon Musk collaboration with @propublica + @TexasTribune, published as part of a five-newsroom initiative to cover powerbrokers in Texas. No paywall! PP: propublica.org/article/greg-a… TT: texastribune.org/2025/11/19/gre… Got a tip for me? Reach me at tips@kut.org. #txlege