March 3 (Reuters) - Democratic Senator Richard

Blumenthal on Monday asked U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio

to answer questions about a reported plan to spend $400 million

to purchase armored versions of Tesla Cybertrucks to

transport diplomats.

Blumenthal said the State Department has publicly stated the

contract was planned during the Biden Administration and the

Trump Administration canceled it, but the senator said that

account has been questioned.

"The question has been raised whether, after significant

public blowback, the Trump Administration created and backdated

government documents to make it appear that the idea to spend

$400 million in taxpayer money on Tesla Cybertrucks originated

with the previous administration," Blumenthal wrote.