Texas Governor Greg Abbott is asking the state’s attorney general to block the release of months of emails between his office and Elon Musk or representatives of Musk’s companies, arguing the messages contain information that is “intimate and embarrassing” and therefore not of legitimate public concern. Abbott’s staff says disclosure would also chill frank policy discussions. The correspondence was requested in April by The Texas Newsroom, working with ProPublica and The Texas Tribune, as part of an examination of the billionaire’s influence at the Capitol. Abbott’s public-information coordinator initially said retrieving the records would require 13 hours of work and a $244.64 fee, which the news outlet paid. After cashing the check, the governor’s office asserted all of the emails were confidential and sought a formal ruling to keep them sealed. In a filing to Attorney General Ken Paxton, Abbott’s office cited attorney-client privilege, deliberative-process protections and the common-law privacy doctrine, contending the material includes private financial details and negotiations used to lure businesses to Texas. SpaceX attorney Kevin Bagnall separately told Paxton that releasing the emails would expose “commercial information whose disclosure would cause SpaceX substantial competitive harm.” Paxton has up to 45 business days to decide whether any portion of the records must be disclosed. Open-government lawyer Bill Aleshire criticized the blanket secrecy claim, noting the governor charged for records he now says will not be produced. A June Texas Supreme Court decision that makes the court the sole arbiter of disputes involving top officials has further weakened enforcement of the state’s Public Information Act, leaving requesters with little recourse if Paxton upholds Abbott’s refusal.