Elon Musk under federal investigation linked to Twitter deal, bidding

WILmington, Dell, Oct 13 (Reuters) – Elon Musk is under a federal investigation related to a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter Inc. (TWTR.N)The social media company said in a court filing published Thursday.

Twitter said it had requested months ago that Musk’s lawyers submit their communications with federal authorities but they did not do so, and asked a Delaware judge to order the lawyers to submit the documents.

In late September, Musk’s lawyers filed a “record of privileges” to determine which documents should be withheld from discovery. The record referred to drafts of a May 13 email to the US Securities and Exchange Commission and a slide presentation to the Federal Trade Commission, Twitter said.

“This ‘hide the ball’ game must end,” the company said in the court filing.

Musk’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Twitter’s court order was filed on October 6, the same day a Delaware judge blocked the lawsuit to allow Twitter and Musk to close the acquisition deal. Read more

The Securities and Exchange Commission questioned Musk’s comments about the Twitter acquisition. In April, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Musk if it was too late to disclose his 9% stake in Twitter and why it indicated he intended to be a passive contributor. Musk later re-disclosed to indicate that he is an active investor.

In June, the Securities and Exchange Commission asked Musk in a letter whether he should amend his public filing to reflect his intent to suspend or abandon the deal.

The Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Trade Commission did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Additional reporting by Tom Hales in Wilmington and Delaware, Sheila Dang in Dallas and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco Editing by Chris Reese

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