Jake Tapper Grills GOP Senator About Elon Musk: ‘Are You Comfortable’ With Elected Officials ‘Going to Beg the Richest Man in the World?’

CNN’s Jake Tapper grilled Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) as to whether he approved of elected lawmakers reporting meeting with Elon Musk to “beg” him not to kill jobs in their districts.

Tapper noted Musk’s cuts through DOGE put first-alert weather forecasters in Oklahoma in jeopardy before their voice in the House – Rep. Tom Cole (R-OK) – intervened on their behalf.

Friday, Cole posted on X that he had spoken to Musk about preserving services across the state:

After working closely with DOGE and the Administration, I am thrilled to announce that common sense has prevailed, as the National Weather Center in Norman, the Social Security Administration Office in Lawton, and the Indian Health Services Office in Oklahoma City will remain operational in Oklahoma. All three of these places provide vital and valuable services to Oklahomans and I am so proud to have advocated for them. As the Representative for Oklahoma’s Fourth District, I will always fight for Oklahomans and my constituents!

On Sunday’s State of the Union, Tapper pressed Scott about whether he had any objection to Cole and others asking Musk to preserve jobs for their constituents.

“There are a lot of Republicans on Capitol Hill behind the scenes, uneasy with how Elon Musk has been cutting the workforce, not the goal of cutting out waste, fraud and abuse, but how he’s been doing it,” Tapper noted.

He asked, “Are you comfortable with Republican elected officials basically going to beg the richest man in the world, an unelected, un-Senate-confirmed person, to have to save American jobs? Is that OK with you?”

Scott sidestepped the question, defended Musk, and explained he had heard from voters who said they were fed up with government waste.

“He’s doing what I did when I became governor of Florida,” Scott said. “You look at every program.”

Watch above via CNN.