NATIONAL NEWS

Musk cites whistleblower as new reason to exit Twitter deal

Aug 30, 2022, 7:42 AM | Updated: Feb 13, 2023, 2:38 pm

FILE: Tesla head Elon Musk leaves after giving a statement to the press as he arrives to have a loo...

FILE: Tesla head Elon Musk leaves after giving a statement to the press as he arrives to have a look at the construction site of the new Tesla Gigafactory near Berlin on September 03, 2020 near Gruenheide, Germany. Musk is currently in Germany where he met with vaccine maker CureVac on Tuesday, with which Tesla has a cooperation to build devices for producing RNA vaccines, as well as German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier yesterday. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

(Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Elon Musk and Twitter lobbed salvos at each other Tuesday in the latest round of legal filings over the billionaire Tesla CEO’s efforts to rescind his offer to buy the social media platform.

Musk filed more paperwork to terminate his agreement to buy Twitter, this time based on information in a whistleblower complaint filed by Twitter’s former head of security. Twitter fired back by saying his attempt to back out of the deal is “invalid and wrongful.”

In an SEC filing, Musk said his legal team notified Twitter of “additional bases” for ending the deal on top of the ones given in the original termination notice issued in July.

In a letter to Twitter Inc., which was included in the filing, Musk’s advisors cited the whistleblower report by former executive Peiter Zatko — also known by his hacker handle “Mudge.”

Zatko, who served as Twitter’s head of security until he was fired early this year, alleged in his complaint to U.S. officials that the company misled regulators about its poor cybersecurity defenses and its negligence in attempting to root out fake accounts that spread disinformation

The letter, addressed to Twitter’s Chief Legal Officer Vijaya Gadde, said Zatko’s allegations provide extra reasons to end the deal if the July termination notice “is determined to be invalid for any reason.”

Billionaire Musk has spent months alleging that the company he agreed to acquire undercounted its fake and spam accounts, which means he doesn’t have to go through with the $44 billion deal. Musk’s decision to back out of the transaction sets the stage for a high-stakes legal battle in October.

In a separate SEC filing, Twitter responded to what it called Musk’s latest “purported termination,” saying it’s “based solely on statements made by a third party that, as Twitter has previously stated, are riddled with inconsistencies and inaccuracies and lack important context.”

The company vowed to go through with the sale at the price agreed with Musk.

KSL 5 TV Live

National News

FILE - Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign event Monday, March 13, 2023, in Davenpor...

CNN Staff

Trump to appear at CNN town hall in New Hampshire

Former President Donald Trump will participate in a CNN presidential town hall next week in New Hampshire, the network announced Monday.

11 months ago

FILE - President Joe Biden walks along a stretch of the U.S.-Mexico border in El Paso Texas, Jan. 8...

Colleen Long, Aamer Madhani and Tara Copp

Biden sending 1,500 troops for Mexico border migrant surge

The Biden administration will send 1,500 troops to the U.S.-Mexico border amid an expected migrant surge following the end of coronavirus pandemic-era restrictions.

11 months ago

Authorities said there were at least 6 fatalities in the wrecks. (Photo courtesy: Nathan J. Cormier...

Joe Sutton

Dust storm in Illinois leaves at least 6 dead after more than 70 vehicles crash

At least six people were killed Monday when a dust storm caused more than 70 vehicles to crash along a major highway in central Illinois, officials said.

11 months ago

Serena Williams attends The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit gala celebrating...

Associated Press

Serena Williams, Karlie Kloss reveal pregnancies at Met Gala

Move over Instagram (or Snapchat) — the Met Gala was the place to announce pregnancies, at least if you’re Serena Williams or Karlie Kloss.

11 months ago

emergency lights generic...

Associated Press

7 bodies found during search for missing Oklahoma teens

The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation says the bodies of seven people have been discovered during the search for two missing teenagers.

11 months ago

Larry Woodcock speaks to a crowd of media cameras and microphones...

Larry D. Curtis and Lauren Steinbrecher

Victim’s grandfather says evidence ‘unequivocal’ in Lori Vallow Daybell trial

As Lori Vallow Daybell entered the fifth week of her trial facing charges of first-degree murder, a victim's grandfather, Larry Woodcock, said the documentation in the case is "unequivocal."

11 months ago

Sponsored Articles

Stack of old laptops with dark background...

PC Laptops

Old Laptop Upgrades You Need to Try Before Throwing it Away

Get the most out of your investment. Try these old laptop upgrades before throwing it out to keep it running fast and efficient.

Happy diverse college or university students are having fun on their graduation day...

BYU MBA at the Marriott School of Business

How to Choose What MBA Program is Right for You: Take this Quiz Before You Apply!

Wondering what MBA program is right for you? Take this quiz before you apply to see if it will help you meet your goals.

Close up of an offset printing machine during production...

Les Olson IT

Top 7 Reasons to Add a Production Printer to Your Business

Learn about the different digital production printers and how they can help your company save time and money.

vintage photo of lighting showroom featuring chandeliers, lamps, wall lights and mirrors...

Lighting Design

History of Lighting Design | Over 25 Years of Providing Utah With the Latest Trends and Styles

Read about the history of Lighting Design, a family-owned and operated business that paved the way for the lighting industry in Utah.

Fiber Optical cables connected to an optic ports and Network cables connected to ethernet ports...

Brian Huston, CE and Anthony Perkins, BICSI

Why Every Business Needs a Structured Cabling System

A structured cabling system benefits businesses by giving you faster processing speeds and making your network more efficient and reliable.

notebook with password notes highlighted...

PC Laptops

How to Create Strong Passwords You Can Actually Remember

Learn how you can create strong passwords that are actually easy to remember! In a short time you can create new ones in seconds.

Musk cites whistleblower as new reason to exit Twitter deal