In a provocative tweet on Tuesday, Tesla CEO Elon Musk accused the outgoing Biden administration of targeting him through a coordinated effort, citing what he described as “deep state traitors” using the legacy media to undermine him. Musk’s comments follow a New York Times report suggesting that the Pentagon has launched multiple investigations into Musk and his company, SpaceX, over alleged violations of national security reporting rules.
The New York Times, citing anonymous sources, claims Musk failed to comply with federal protocols for safeguarding state secrets and did not disclose details about his meetings with foreign governments. This development comes at a time when congressional Democrats are also scrutinizing Musk’s actions. In November, a group of Democratic lawmakers called on the Pentagon to investigate Musk for potential inappropriate communications with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Musk’s companies, including Tesla and SpaceX, have already faced increasing scrutiny in recent months, with Reuters running an investigation into alleged “harms” at the companies. The series, titled “The Musk Industrial Complex,” earned the news agency a Pulitzer Prize in May.
Mike Benz, a former U.S. State Department official, added fuel to the fire, claiming that Reuters is closely aligned with the Biden administration. He pointed to data from the USASpending website, which shows significant sums paid by the U.S. government to the news agency. Benz further suggested that the growing scrutiny of Musk and his ventures, including SpaceX, Tesla, and X (formerly Twitter), is part of a larger, coordinated effort involving at least 11 U.S. government agencies.
This apparent crackdown against Musk comes as he has been a vocal supporter of former President Donald Trump. Reports also suggest that Trump has selected Musk to head a newly proposed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) in his forthcoming administration, further fueling speculation about the political motivations behind the investigations.
The allegations and Musk’s defensive remarks raise questions about a possible deep state agenda to target high-profile individuals perceived as opposing the current political establishment, particularly ahead of Trump’s second term in office. As the investigations continue, Musk’s position as a prominent figure in both business and politics seems increasingly under siege.
