Austin: Gina Hinojosa Sues Gov. Greg Abbott for Access to His Communications With Elon Musk
Austin, in Travis County, Texas, is the scene of the latest lawsuit in the Texas governor's race. State Rep. Gina Hinojosa, the Democratic candidate for governor, filed suit on October 19 in Travis County District Court seeking access to unredacted communications between Gov. Greg Abbott's office and billionaire Elon Musk and his companies. October 19 was the first day of early voting in Texas; Hinojosa said in Austin that the communications bear on legislative matters including state incentives, grants and public beach access.
The dispute dates to a 2025 public records request by The Texas Newsroom. The governor's office released 1,374 pages, but all but about 200 pages were redacted or blacked out, citing grounds including business confidentiality and attorney-client privilege. On September 29, Hinojosa filed a separate request in her capacity as a state lawmaker; on October 13 the governor's office acknowledged the records had been assembled but declined to provide access. She cites Section 552.008 of the Texas Government Code, which allows legislators to inspect confidential government information for legislative purposes, and says she is willing to sign a confidentiality agreement. She is not asking for the records to be made public.
Abbott's press secretary, Andrew Mahaleris, said in a statement that the lawsuit is "baseless and nothing more than an act of desperation," accusing Hinojosa of abusing her office to generate headlines for her campaign. Abbott himself also characterized the suit as an effort to gain attention. Musk's companies, including Tesla, SpaceX and X, are headquartered or have major operations in Texas. The court has yet to rule. (GSM, based on FOX 7 Austin and wire reporting)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: Wikimedia Commons CC0 / RRC1701
- 2026-10-20Austin: Gina Hinojosa Sues Gov. Greg Abbott for Access to His Communications With Elon MuskThis story
- 2026-10-28Follow-Up: Texas Fifteenth Court of Appeals Stays Order Opening Abbott's Communications With Musk to Hinojosa
