Elon Musk Fires Back At Allegations Against SpaceX Hiring Practices: 'Yet Another Case Of Weaponization Of The DOJ'

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk on Thursday responded to allegations of discrimination in hiring practices at the rocket manufacturing company.

What Happened: The response comes on the heels of the justice department filing a lawsuit against the rocket manufacturer. It alleged that SpaceX “routinely discouraged asylees and refugees from applying and refused to hire or consider them, because of their citizenship status” from September 2018 to May 2022. 

Musk took to X.com and said, “This is yet another case of weaponization of the DOJ for political purposes.” SpaceX was repeatedly told that hiring anyone who was not a permanent resident of the United States would violate international arms trafficking law and be a criminal offense, Musk wrote.

“We couldn't even hire Canadian citizens, despite Canada being part of NORAD!” the CEO said.

Musk was responding to Impulse Space CEO Tom Mueller who wrote, “So, if I let a non-US citizen see our rocket hardware, I go to ITAR [International Traffic in Arms Regulations] jail, but if i don’t hire a non US citizen I get sued by DoJ. Got it.” Mueller was formerly a SpaceX employee.

Musk also agreed with other X.com users who said that the lawsuit suggests a political motivation and that it is meant to punish Musk for his political dissent.

Why It Matters: In its lawsuit, the DOJ alleged that SpaceX said it could only hire U.S. citizens due to export control laws in its job postings, but export control laws impose no such hiring restrictions.

The DOJ is seeking fair consideration and back pay for asylees and refugees who were deterred from applying for or denied employment because of the alleged discrimination. The Justice Department is also seeking civil penalties and policy changes that ensure that SpaceX complies with the Immigration and Nationality Act moving forward. 

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