Democrats Prepare a Flurry of Investigations Into Musk After Retaking Congress: Clinton Had Urged the New Congress to Hold Him Accountable
Washington — Democrats are expected to open a flurry of congressional investigations into billionaire Elon Musk and his businesses after winning the midterm elections and retaking both the House and the Senate, Reuters reported on November 5. Democrats have said investigations into Musk and his businesses top their agenda.
Musk spent record-breaking amounts supporting Republicans this cycle: $445 million on federal races alone, according to the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets, with total cycle spending put at about $470 million. The investment yielded little, as Republicans still lost both chambers.
The expected inquiries cover Musk's leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the legality of its cuts, his companies' federal contracts including SpaceX's work for NASA and the Defense Department, conflicts of interest, SpaceX's restriction of its Starlink satellite service in Ukraine during a critical phase of the war, and his contacts with Russia. Some inquiries have already begun: Democrats on House and Senate investigative committees wrote to SpaceX, the Defense Department and the White House last month about the Starlink restriction.
Representative Robert Garcia of California, the incoming chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, also plans to introduce legislation closing what he calls the "Musk loophole" in campaign finance law. Musk's political action committee, America PAC, and his attorney Alex Spiro did not respond to requests for comment.
The push had been previewed before the election. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, appearing on ABC's The View on November 2, called for an investigation into Musk over alleged election interference, saying: "People like Elon Musk, we need a government, starting in January with a new Congress, to begin to hold these people accountable." She said certain individuals cannot get away with manipulating data to try to influence decisions.
Markets reacted first: Tesla shares fell 3.3 percent and SpaceX shares fell 3.9 percent on Wednesday amid investor concerns that a Democratic-controlled Congress would tighten scrutiny of Starlink and of Musk's data center projects. On the other side, President Trump said this week that if Democrats investigate Musk, "we would have to protect them," and that he would be willing to issue a preemptive pardon if necessary — setting up a confrontation between congressional investigators and the White House when the new Congress takes its seats in January.
(Source: Reuters)
Source: Reuters
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：特朗普与时任政府效率部顾问马斯克在白宫举行记者会（2025年5月30日白宫官方照片，资料图）。公共领域，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: President Trump at a White House press conference with then-DOGE adviser Elon Musk (official White House photo, May 30, 2025; file photo). Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
