Elon Musk has criticised the SEC as pressure mounts on him to testify for a third time in a legal investigation over last year's US$44 billion takeover of Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) - now X.
The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), which has been probing the acquisition since last year, requested on Thursday that San Francisco's federal court issue Musk with an order to testify in the case.
Musk's lawyer Alex Spiro argued "enough was enough", pointing to two previous testimonies given to the commission by the Tesla Inc (NASDAQ:TSLA) boss.
"The SEC has already taken Mr Musk's testimony multiple times in this misguided investigation," Spiro added.
According to the commission, Musk had been due to testify in September but refused to show two days prior to the meeting.
He argued the SEC was harassing him though, having already testified in the case.
The SEC argued that much of the evidence it had received in relation to his Twitter takeover had come after his two previous testimonies.
"Unchecked government action is dangerous and the record here is troubling,” Musk’s lawyer Alex Spiro said previously.
“Mr Musk declines to acquiesce in the commission's incursions and therefore refuses to appear as you demand.”
The case centres around Musk’s compliance with federal security laws as he purchased Twitter’s stock, with investigators also looking into SEC filings and statements made at the time.
According to the SEC, another testimony would seek "to obtain information not already in [its] possession that is relevant to its legitimate and lawful investigation".