It's the difference between action and inaction. It's a tremendous difference.
It's the difference between holding someone guilty of committing a crime and charging them with something they literally didn't do.
It's a world of difference.
@volkris
This is not a simple case of failing to deliver data, it is a case of taking administrative action to shut off data delivery. That action delivered value to the Russians, much as transmitting economic value (electronic money transfer) would deliver value to the Russians. Yet funds, data transactions, are being withheld under pain of sanctions.
But that's just factually false. They didn't deliver value to the Russians; they didn't deliver value to anyone; the complaint is over the lack of delivering value in that moment.
Again, you asked what the difference is, and that's the answer: something vs nothing, a world of difference.
A number of Musk's operations qualify him as a defense contractor. He's heavily subsidized by public funding. Realistically, what level of foreign policy obstruction is the US expected to tolerate from a defense contractor? I'm wondering if you'd apply the same reasoning to Boeing or General Dynamics if they intentionally sabotaged a NATO supported ally.
It may be a "world of difference" to you but in its real-world effects it's a distinction without a difference.
