As the richest person in the world faces criticism for his unchecked influence over the federal government, GOP lawmakers are coming to his rescue.
Elon Musk’s slashing cuts and false claims have led to a backlash among politicians, civil servants and the general public. But Tesla seems to have borne the brunt of its CEO’s massive unpopularity in recent weeks. Its stock has plummeted steadily since Musk began firing federal workers en masse through the Department of Government Efficiency in late January. Tesla dealerships have faced protests, while its vehicles and charging stations have even been vandalized.
In response, President Donald Trump has railed against people who he said are “illegally” boycotting Tesla “in order to attack and do harm to Elon, and everything he stands for.” Trump then staged a bizarre marketing event for Tesla on the White House South Lawn on Tuesday, touting the price of its vehicles and marveling that “everything’s computer” in its cars. He also said he would consider labeling violence against Tesla dealerships as “domestic terrorism.”
Several Republicans are following in Trump’s lead. Eight GOP lawmakers on the House DOGE subcommittee Wednesday called on Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel to open a probe into attacks on Tesla cars and infrastructure. In a letter to the Justice Department and the FBI, they questioned if antifa — a popular bogeyman among the right — or Democrat-affiliated groups were behind recent Tesla incidents.
“Attacks on Tesla must be investigated as domestic terrorism!” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, the subcommittee chairwoman, wrote in a post on X. House Speaker Mike Johnson also promised to deploy congressional resources to “investigate the sources of these attacks,” which he similarly called “domestic terrorism.” As with a lot in Washington these days, it’s hard to tell whether this is right-wing posturing or the early stages of an actual government policy. But the message it sends is clear: Republicans are not above wielding governmental power to protect Trump’s richest ally from facing criticism.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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