The Blubber

Large foreign investors would have access to confidential information about Twitter’s finances — and potentially its users — under the terms of Elon Musk’s deal to acquire the social media site, people familiar with the matter told The Washington Post.

That revelation comes as Treasury Department officials begin looking into whether they have the legal authority to start an investigation into the purchase because of Musk’s ties to foreign governments and investors, people familiar with those discussions said.

It was not immediately clear whether Treasury officials were aware of the terms granting information rights to large investors. The exploration of whether a review was warranted is fairly routine, and such preliminary examinations often do not end in a full investigation.

White House officials also previously discussed the possibility of a national security review of the acquisition, according to another person. Additionally, officials at the FBI looked into the potential counterintelligence risks posed by the deal this past spring, according to two people familiar with the inquiry — though it is not clear whether the matter has been studied by senior officials at the bureau or if those discussions are still active. All the people spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss matters they were not authorized to disclose publicly.

A Saudi prince’s holding company and a subsidiary of the Qatari sovereign wealth fund are among the investors backing Musk’s Twitter purchase, as is Binance, a cryptocurrency exchange that was founded in China but has since moved its operations elsewhere. Tesla, where Musk serves as chief executive, has extensive ties to China, as well.