SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell told employees last week that the company’s founder and CEO, Elon Musk, was being falsely accused of sexual misconduct, CNBC reported on Monday.
“Personally, I believe the allegations to be false; not because I work for Elon, but because I have worked closely with him for 20 years and never seen nor heard anything resembling these allegations,” an email to employees obtained by CNBC reads.
After a former SpaceX flight attendant came forward with claims that he sexually propositioned her on a private jet in 2016, and then paid her a hefty $250,000 severence package, Musk dismissed her claims as “wild accusations.”
He told Business Insider that the entire scandal, which has sent his Tesla stock crashing, is a “politically motivated hit piece.”
Shotwell, who is SpaceX’s top-ranking female executive, also stated in her email that she “will never comment on any legal matters involving employment issues” and that the company has a “ZERO tolerance” policy for harassment and will investigate every complaint, “regardless of who is involved,” CNBC reports.
She joined the company in 2002 and is responsible for its day-to-day operations.
TheWrap has reached out to Shotwell for comment.