New Delhi: Former White House strategist Steve Bannon has called on President Trump to strip Elon Musk of US citizenship, deport him immediately and seize control of his aerospace company, SpaceX.
Bannon, speaking on the “War Room Live” platform, he accused Musk, that he emigrated from South Africa and became a naturalised US citizen. He further said, that he is residing in the country illegally. He urged a federal probe into Musk’s immigration status and alleged “drug use” and and unauthorised attempts to access classified Pentagon data regarding China. Bannon even called for federal authorities to invoke the Defence Production Act to take over SpaceX “before midnight” if no action is taken.
“They should initiate a formal investigation of his immigration status, because I am of the strong belief that he is an illegal alien, and he should be deported from the country immediately,” Steve Bannon told The New York Times.
The timing appears related to Musk’s recent threat to decommission SpaceX’s Dragon spacecraft missions to the International Space Station; a threat that he later rescinded.
According to Bannon, Musk has become a “parasitic illegal immigrant” and “a problem to the country”. He also said that Musk has betrayed both national interests ad the MAGA movement.
This demand has come to the fore because of the growing rift between Musk and Trump. Once considered close allies, the two have engaged in a war of words. Trump has expressed disappointment over Musk’s actions. Musk has countered by alleging Trump hoards classified files tied to Jeffrey Epstien.
Despite the gravity of Bannon’s claims, Musk has been a citizen of US for over two decades now. No credible evidence is presented and the government agencies have not validated these statements.
In response, Musk has remained silent on this matter.
