Austin, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s office has released nearly 1,400 pages of emails involving Elon Musk and employees at several of his companies, but more than 1,000 of those pages are completely blacked out, according to reporting from News From the States. The records were disclosed after months of legal opposition from the governor’s office and attorneys representing SpaceX, who argued the communications contained trade secrets and confidential policymaking discussions.
Only about 200 pages include readable content, much of it offering little new insight. The disclosed material largely consists of previously public documents, such as incorporation filings for SpaceX, meeting agendas, a state grant notice, and an application from a Musk employee seeking a position on a state commission. Other emails include a happy hour invitation and reminders about upcoming rocket launches.
The Texas Newsroom requested the records last spring as part of an ongoing project examining Musk’s influence in state policymaking. After paying the review fee, journalists learned that Abbott’s office and SpaceX were seeking to block disclosure. The Texas attorney general’s office ultimately allowed the state to withhold most of the documents.
Transparency experts told reporters that this level of redaction reflects broader problems with Texas public records laws, which have been weakened by court rulings and legislative carve-outs. They warned that companies can now more easily label information as “competitively sensitive,” limiting public access to communications involving major state decisions.
The Texas Newsroom has asked the attorney general to reconsider the ruling, but experts say legal challenges have grown more difficult in recent years.
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