Texas judge rules Abbott must share Musk’s unredacted emails with Hinojosa

A Travis County judge ruled Monday that Gov. Greg Abbott must allow state Rep. Gina Hinojosa to review more than 1,000 pages of unredacted communications between the governor and Elon Musk — documents that Abbott previously tried to conceal, describing them as too “intimate and embarrassing.”

Travis County Judge Catherine Mauzy issued the ruling, finding that Abbott attempted to block Hinojosa’s statutory right as a state lawmaker under the Texas Public Information Act to inspect documented communications.

“For 12 years, Greg Abbott sold Texas to his billionaire and trillionaire donors, but the buck stops here,” Hinojosa said.

“Texans built this great state, and we are not going to let Abbott donors continue to buy our land, close our schools, or take our water and electricity for their own benefit. People deserve transparency, and that’s why I continue to fight for the documents between Elon Musk and Greg Abbott.”

Prosecution filed after refusal of files

On October 19, Hinojosa filed a lawsuit against Abbott after he illegally denied her access to the records. Abbott’s office had previously collected and reviewed the 1,374 pages in response to a prior request from the Texas Newsroom — but all but about 200 pages were redacted or completely blacked out. Abbott refused to make any of the documents public.

Billions in subsidies and tax breaks at stake

Documented ties between Abbott and Musk include direct communications, substantial political contributions and economic development incentives benefiting Musk’s companies – raising questions about whose interests the governor serves.

Abbott has awarded billions of dollars in subsidies and tax breaks to Musk’s companies operating in Texas. That includes a $1.66 billion tax break given shortly after Musk donated $500,000 to Abbott’s re-election campaign this year.

In July, Abbott drew criticism from within his own party over his relationship with Musk after he asked the Texas Broadband Office to provide $110 million upfront to Musk’s Starlink — a move that triggered an audit of the office.

Hinojosa, a candidate for governor, has put the fight for transparency at the heart of her campaign.

“Abbott uses his power for his donors,” she said. “As governor, I will use my power to realize the American dream for working Texas people by saving our schools, putting money in people’s pockets, and ending Greg Abbott’s corruption.”

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