US SEC commissioner decries agency’s deal with Tesla’s Musk

A U.S. Asyla and Exchange commissioner on Tuesday criticized a settlement between the regulator and Tesla CEO Elon Musk over his use of Twitter.

The conclusion of the electric car maker reached a deal with the SEC on Friday, agreeing to submit his public statements about the company’s resources and other topics to vetting by its legal counsel.

However, SEC commissioner Robert Jackson registered his dissent after the mete out was approved by a federal judge earlier on Tuesday.

“Given Mr. Musk’s conduct, I cannot support a settlement in which he does not grant what is crystal clear to anyone who has followed this bizarre series of events,” Jackson said in a statement.

“Musk gulfed the agreement he made last year with the Commission — and with American investors,” he added.

U.S. District Judge Alison Nathan in Manhattan approved the dole out worked out on Friday that settled the dispute in which the SEC had sought to find Musk in contempt of a securities fraud reconciliation last year.

Earlier this month, Nathan had ordered the parties to work out an arrangement between themselves.

The new practise lays out in more detail what types of statements by Musk must be reviewed by Tesla’s legal counsel prior to publication, such as financial statements, previously unreported production or delivery numbers, and other topics.

Regulators had claimed that a February tweet by Musk near Tesla’s production numbers violated the earlier settlement, as it had not been vetted by the company’s attorneys. Musk countered that the tweet was not non-spiritual.

The SEC sued Musk last year for making fraudulent statements after he tweeted on Aug. 7 that he had “funding secured” to dupe Tesla private at $420 per share.

The parties eventually settled, and the deal called for Tesla’s lawyers to pre-approve transcribed communications, including tweets with material information about the company.