Musk denies “insane accusations” against him, apparently citing a report of harassment

SpaceX founder Elon Musk tweeted late Thursday that the “wild accusations” against him were untrue.

He did not explain the charges. But his answer came after a Business Insider report on Thursday said the aerospace company paid $ 250,000 in compensation to a flight attendant who accused the billionaire of sexual assault.

The reportquoting interviews and documents received from Insider, said the woman claims that during a massage he gave to Musk, he revealed his erect penis, touched her thigh without her consent and offered to buy her a horse if she had sex. actions.

Musk, without referring directly to the report, tweeted that “for the record, these wild accusations are completely untrue.”

“Attacks on me must be viewed from a political lens – this is their standard (despised) textbook,” he tweeted.

Insider reports that the alleged incident took place in Musk’s room aboard a SpaceX plane on a flight to London in late 2016, after the world’s richest man asked her to give him a “full body massage”.

Musk told the Insider that there was “much more to this story” as he asked the publication for more time to respond to the article’s claims, according to the publication.

“If I was inclined to engage in sexual harassment, this is unlikely to be the first time in my entire 30-year career that it will come to light,” Musk told Insider. He also said his article was a “politically motivated hit song,” the paper said.

Insider said it had moved the publication deadline after Musk asked for more time to respond, but he never commented further on the allegations.

SpaceX Vice President of Legal Affairs Christopher Kardachi was quoted as saying by Insider: “I will not comment on any settlement agreements.”

CNBC turned to SpaceX for comment.

The Insider report comes when Tesla boss Musk is engaged in an attempt to buy social media giant Twitter.

The allegations, announced on Thursday, are described in detail in a statement signed by a friend of the flight attendant.

This statement was made in support of a complaint filed by the woman’s lawyer with SpaceX’s human resources department in 2018, after she felt that her job opportunities at the company had diminished after she refused to join sexual contact with Musk, according to Insider.

Neither the friend who spoke to Insider nor the woman who refused to be interviewed by the publication were identified by name in the article. The flight attendant has signed a non-disclosure agreement as part of her agreement with SpaceX, according to the report.

Insider reported that the friend said that the flight attendant told her the story about Musk shortly after it happened.

And the publication reported that the friend said that she decided to disclose the woman’s claim without first asking the flight attendant, because she felt obliged as a survivor of sexual violence to disclose the lawsuit against Musk.

Insider said the flight attendant’s complaint to SpaceX’s human resources department was “resolved soon after a mediation session attended by Musk.”

The publication reported that Musk, SpaceX and the flight attendant in November 2018 signed an agreement to pay the woman $ 250,000 several times in exchange for a promise not to file a lawsuit related to her claims.

Read the full Insider report here.

– CNBC Weigen Tan and Michael Schitz contributed to this report.