Media Must Cover Musk Oversight as Valid, Not Partisan

Elon Musk gave more than $445 million to Republican candidates and groups this cycle, yet most of his picks lost. Democrats now plan to scrutinize his tenure leading DOGE, when Musk received at least $6.3 billion in government contracts. DOGE team members also face allegations that they illegally accessed Americans’ sensitive data.

Expect coverage to cast this as a billionaire’s feud with Democrats. But the questions long predate the election. DOJ disclosures cited by House Democrats show that DOGE staff at the Social Security Administration corresponded with a political group seeking to overturn election results, and that a voter data agreement was sent to it. Musk’s Starlink disruption of Ukraine’s military operations is also under scrutiny, and he has already threatened retaliation against any probe.

We call on the media to treat oversight of Musk as legitimate accountability, not partisan revenge. A private citizen with enormous wealth gained access to government systems and public money, and the public deserves to know what he did with both. Report the evidence, press Musk and the administration for answers, and don’t let his threats set the terms of coverage.