On December 18, the Financial Association reported (Editor: Huang Junzhi) that USA Senator Elizabeth Warren expressed concerns about the apparent conflict of interest brought by Elon Musk serving as a new senior advisor to the government, and requested the elected president Trump to explain what ethical standards would apply to the billionaire.

She wants to know whether Musk abided by the ethical standards of Trump's transition team and if he signed the relevant code of conduct.

In a letter to Trump on Monday, Warren pointed out that Musk is the co-chairman of the newly established Trump advisory institution "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), which is not part of the USA government, implying that he is not a government employee, "but the conflict of interest he faces is enormous, and he clearly needs to adhere to similar ethical standards."

She explained that the ethical standards for federal government employees aim to protect the public from the effects of conflicts of interest and ensure that government employees work for the public interest rather than for their own economic benefit. She cited the ethical plan of Trump's transition team, which stipulated that team members would avoid actual and apparent conflicts of interest and prohibited team members from collaborating with parties that could benefit from specific matters.

She wrote: "Allowing Musk to influence billions of dollars in government contracts and regulatory enforcement without strict conflict of interest agreements would lead to a level of corruption never seen in our lifetime."

Warren further pointed out that Musk himself "claims to be a very influential figure," having participated in a call between the elected president and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and secretly met with Iran's ambassador to the United Nations. As co-chairman of DOGE, he will also play a significant role in recommending substantial spending cuts.

"He is referred to as 'America's most powerful ordinary citizen.' But Musk is not an ordinary citizen. He is the CEO of several companies with significant interests before the federal government," Warren wrote, adding that Tesla, which Musk leads, has received nearly $42 million in government contracts to provide electric vehicles (EVs) and services to the federal government.

She also pointed out that Tesla recently reached an agreement, which is part of the Biden administration's plan to provide billions of dollars in funding to support electric vehicle charging stations, and Tesla has agreed to modify its charging network to make it compatible with competitor Autos.

In addition, Musk's other company, SpaceX, has received a $20 billion government contract to provide rocket launches for missions to the International Space Station and to launch National Security Satellites into orbit.

Warren wrote: "In addition to a heavy reliance on government contracts and other forms of direct or indirect government support, SpaceX, Tesla and Musk's other companies have also been focused on how the government enforces labor laws, workplace safety regulations, environmental regulations, and other federal laws."

The Massachusetts senator believes that Musk's "huge private interests" present a significant conflict of interest with his role as co-chair of DOGE.

"Currently, the American public cannot know whether the advice he privately provided to you is beneficial to the country or only advantageous to his own interests," she said.

She also added that the upcoming Trump administration suggested abolishing the requirement for companies to report autonomous vehicle collision data imposed by the USA National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which Tesla would benefit from.