Them’s fightin’ words!
Elon Musk warned Wednesday that he would fight back against Democrats who are reportedly planning to target him with investigations if they gain control of the House in next month’s midterms.
“Live by the sword, die by the sword,” Musk wrote on X, which he owns.
“Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets…”
He was responding to a Politico report with the headline “Democrats have a message for Elon Musk: Watch out,” which was posted on social media with the caption, “Dem gavels are coming for Elon Musk.”
As Democrats take the edge in some closely-watched midterm races, blue lawmakers are reportedly readying to launch a slew of corruption probes aimed at the Trump administration – starting with the world’s richest man.
Democrats are considering multiple points of attack on Musk, a GOP megadonor who has already donated hundreds of millions of dollars to Republican candidates this year, according to Politico.
Probes could target his oversight of the Department of Government Efficiency, which slashed hundreds of thousands of federal jobs.
His companies’ multibillion-dollar federal contracts could also come under fire. SpaceX – Musk’s $2 trillion rocket firm that also owns satellite business Starlink – holds billions of dollars’ worth of federal defense contracts.
Musk’s reported role in stifling Ukrainian internet access is also likely to face scrutiny. US officials told the Wall Street Journal that Musk chose to suddenly slow satellite internet speed in Ukraine without consulting the White House, while another source claimed the Starlink boss consulted with senior administration officials and Trump ahead of time.
“What happens when one guy gets a giant contract from the government and then uses it to do something that shuts down communication in a war that has been extremely important to the United States to support Ukraine?” Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, told Politico.
“There’s a lot of different parts of the corruption around Musk.”
Several other Democrats signaled they are looking into ways to target the techie with investigations.
Sara Guerrero, a spokesperson for Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.), the top Dem on the House Oversight Committee, said there are “a lot of questions” about Musk’s role in DOGE and “it is something we plan to investigate.”
Another member of the Oversight Committee, Rep. Greg Casar (D-Texas), said Musk needs to be investigated as part of corruption probes into the Trump administration “because it takes two to tango.”
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Space, Science and Technology Committee, blasted “the damage that DOGE inflicted on our science agencies.”
“Elon Musk and his DOGE cronies stirred up chaos, ruined careers, and played a large role in illegal grant cancellations and firings of civil servants,” she added.
Rep. Greg Meeks (D-NY), the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, called for “a full accounting of the damage Mr. Musk and DOGE caused,” specifically calling out the “cruel dismantling of USAID.”
Rep. Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-Calif.), another member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said Musk needs to appear before the group – adding an ominous message: “Bring it all on.”
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee have already started digging into Musk’s time at DOGE.