Several lawmakers in Congress have publicly said that an investigation into Musk and his vast business empire should be launched.
President Trump said on Monday (November 2) that if Democrats retake control of the House of Representatives after the midterm elections and open investigations into the billionaire, Tesla and SpaceX chief Musk, he would seek to protect Musk and might even preemptively pardon him along with other White House staffers and political allies.
Asked about rumors that Democrats could investigate Musk or even seize his assets, Trump said, "If that happens, we have to protect them." Asked whether he would use presidential pardon power before Musk or other allies were investigated, Trump did not rule out the possibility. He also pointed to former President Biden's pardons before leaving office: "Biden did that—he gave everybody pardons."
A push to pardon Musk in advance?
Robert Reich, who served as labor secretary during the Clinton administration, called on Democrats last month to investigate Musk if they regain control of Congress in the midterms and to "prepare to take over his companies." Reich said the reason was that Musk holds too much political and economic power. He also urged Democrats to prepare to nationalize SpaceX and its satellite internet business, Starlink, if Democrats return to the White House. "If Democrats govern in the future, they should not only intervene through oversight hearings but also begin laying the groundwork for nationalizing Starlink and SpaceX," Reich said. "It should be a public enterprise. We should never allow this kind of power to rest in one person's hands."
In response, Musk hit back at Reich's remarks on X, saying, "Stealing a company is a serious crime." Reich also predicted that if Democrats win control of the House, and possibly the Senate, Musk will face stricter scrutiny in Congress. Musk warned Democrats on X last month not to "start a war" with him. "Those who start a fight with me should understand that I will find out who is really giving the orders and settle scores with them," he said. Musk has also said previously that if Democrats win both the White House and Congress in 2028, it would mean the end of American democracy.
Has Congress been restless for a while?
In Congress, several lawmakers have publicly said that an investigation into Musk and his sprawling business empire should be launched. Lawmakers say that given that Musk's companies such as SpaceX and Tesla have received billions of dollars in federal contracts and subsidies, those interests urgently need oversight. Representative Zoe Lofgren, a senior Democrat on the House Science, Space and Technology Committee, said, "The number of conflicts of interest involved is staggering." Members of the House Oversight Committee and other panels also want to investigate Musk's role while serving at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), including how he helped eliminate more than 250,000 federal positions, withhold congressionally appropriated funds and obtain sensitive government data. Representative Greg Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement last Monday: "Congress must demand a full accounting of the damage caused by Musk and DOGE. We must not allow anyone to obstruct our oversight work." Meeks also said Musk's role in the "brutal dismantling of USAID" would be a key target of his committee's investigations next year.
Some Democrats have already taken action before formal procedures begin. Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee last month asked Musk to testify before Congress in response to a watchdog report saying Musk's DOGE overstated its savings. In addition, Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee have also called for an investigation into allegations that DOGE stole data from Social Security records. Even on committees that appear to have little to do with Musk, some lawmakers have raised questions about him. Representative Maxine Dexter, a Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee and the Veterans' Affairs Committee, said Musk is the kind of "well-connected billionaire" who treats government contracts as a way to subsidize his companies' research and development spending and boost profits. "We must put an end to these things," she said.
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