Reports: Musk Gave Over $38K to Republican PAC

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk donated $38,900 to Protect the House, the House GOP-focused joint fundraising committee started by Vice President Mike Pence and House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, according to finance documents published by ProPublica.

The PAC raised $8.7 million in the second quarter of 2018 for Republican lawmakers hoping to stave off Democratic challengers, with its largest donation from Houston Texans owner Robert McNair and wife, Janice McNair. Together, the pair gave $743,000. Casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and supermarket magnate Ron Burkle each donated $371,500.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen gave $100,000 and former Treasury secretary Hank Paulson gave $45,000.

Musk, reportedly a close friend of McCarthy's, has been critical of President Donald Trump in the past. The self-described socialist made donations to Hillary Clinton during both of her 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns, and has been an outspoken critic of climate-change deniers, per Salon.

"Climate change is the biggest threat that humanity faces this century, except for AI,” Musk said in an interview with Rolling Stone late last year. “I keep telling people this. I hate to be Cassandra here, but it's all fun and games until somebody loses a ... eye. This view [of climate change] is shared by almost everyone who's not crazy in the scientific community."

• Dems Lead GOP by 12 Million in Voter Registration
• Speaker Ryan Makes Election Year Pitch for GOP Tax Law