'Agent of influence': Expert warns Musk's tactics are straight out of 'Russia's playbook' [View all]

By Erik De La Garza
Published December 20, 2024 9:36 PM ET

Tech billionaire Elon Musk’s increasing influence – not just in the United States as a close ally of the incoming president – but around the world is helping to fuel Russia’s war on democracy and mirrors tactics pulled from Vladimir Putin’s playbook, foreign policy researcher Olga Lautman warned Friday.

Using a “strategy of strategic chaos,” and armed with his “immense wealth” and ownership of the social media platform X, Musk has morphed into “an active agent of influence” that he uses “to undermine Western unity and destabilize democratic institutions,” Lautman wrote on her Substack page.

Lautman told readers on Friday that Musk’s endorsement via X of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) is another sign of his growing influence in Europe. She urged Democrats to investigate Musk’s “ties to Moscow, his access to U.S. government contracts, and his security clearance.”

https://www.rawstory.com/elon-musk-2670657467/

I my opinion Lautmann should have mentioned that the Citizens United decision has a lot to do with this current situation............