Overview

• Internal State Department memos reveal Secretary Marco Rubio instructed officials to pressure foreign governments to approve Starlink deals as part of trade discussions.
• Lesotho and over six other nations, including Vietnam and India, have either approved or are advancing Starlink agreements to mitigate U.S. tariff impacts.
• A State Department cable signed by Rubio explicitly named Starlink and emphasized U.S. advocacy to maintain its global market advantage.
• Democratic lawmakers have called for investigations into potential conflicts of interest, citing concerns of self-dealing benefiting Elon Musk and the Trump administration.
• The State Department defended its actions, describing Starlink as a transformative American innovation competing against Chinese alternatives.