By Courtney Rozen and Daniel Wiessner
WASHINGTON, March 4 (Reuters) – Elon Musk, the billionaire and former adviser to President Donald Trump, will not have to sit for a deposition about his tenure leading the Department of Government Efficiency and his role in dismantling the U.S. Agency for International Development, a U.S. appeals court ruled on Wednesday.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled 2-1 to grant Musk’s petition to avoid the deposition.
Prior to its dismantling, USAID coordinated federal efforts to alleviate poverty and disease. Musk, with Trump’s backing, fired thousands of its employees and contractors, throwing global humanitarian relief operations into chaos. Former USAID employees and contractors are accusing him of illegally shuttering the agency.
Circuit Judge Roger Gregory dissented, saying Musk and two other officials targeted for depositions were the only people who could provide relevant information, including about decisions to shut down USAID headquarters and the agency’s website.
“Defendants do not even attempt to suggest adequate substitutes for their depositions,” Gregory wrote.
(Reporting by Courtney Rozen in Washington and Daniel Wiessner in Albany, New YorkEditing by Mark Porter and Matthew Lewis)
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