Abbott Dismisses Lawsuit Seeking Musk Communications

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has dismissed a lawsuit by Democratic gubernatorial nominee Gina Hinojosa. The lawsuit sought access to confidential communications between Abbott’s office and Elon Musk’s companies. Abbott labeled it a “lazy political stunt.”

Hinojosa, challenging Abbott in November, filed the lawsuit on Monday. This was on the first day of early voting in Texas. Her request to inspect unredacted records involving Musk and his businesses in the state was denied by Abbott’s office.

“The lawsuit is baseless and nothing more than an act of desperation,” said Andrew Mahaleris, Abbott’s press secretary. “Texans see this for what it is: a political stunt.”

Abbott criticized Hinojosa’s motives after casting his early ballot in Del Valle on Monday. Abbott accused Hinojosa of trying to attract attention to her campaign, stating that she was grasping at straws as the election slipped from her hands.

Newsweek has contacted both Abbott and Hinojosa’s teams for comment.

Why Hinojosa Wants Access

Hinojosa argued her role as a state lawmaker entitled her to review the communications. In her September 29 request, she expressed concerns about tech giants’ growing power over Texas’s tax dollars, resources, and data.

At an event outside Travis County courthouse Monday, Hinojosa emphasized this issue was about government transparency and Musk’s influence in Texas. “I don’t think there’s a torrid love affair between Greg Abbott and Elon Musk,” she said. She pointed to Musk’s $1.7 billion in property tax breaks and his $500,000 contribution to Abbott’s campaign as concerns.

Details About the Confidential Documents

The documents involved stem from a 2025 public records request by The Texas Newsroom. The request sought communications between Abbott’s office and Musk or his companies. Abbott’s office cited legal protections like attorney-client privilege and the state’s competitive business interests for not releasing the records fully.

In August 2025, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton partially upheld these objections but directed the governor’s office to release some materials. The office provided 1,374 pages of documents, but according to Hinojosa’s lawsuit, only about 200 pages were unredacted.

Hinojosa requested to inspect the withheld materials under a Texas law. This law allows lawmakers to review specific confidential records for legislative purposes. She offered to sign a confidentiality agreement to gain access. Abbott’s office denied this request, leading to the lawsuit.

Abbott’s lawyers argued Hinojosa sought the records for her campaign, rather than legislative purposes. They wrote the request was “calculated to benefit Plaintiff personally in her campaign for Governor.”

Her lawsuit also references reports of Texas officials contemplating selling Boca Chica State Park, near Brownsville, to Musk’s SpaceX, which operates nearby.

The dispute unfolds as Abbott seeks a fourth term as governor, intensifying his criticism amid signs of a tightening race.