Press Releases

Washington D.C. — Today, House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Jamie Raskin (MD-08) and Congresswoman Deborah Ross (NC-02) led 10 colleagues in urging U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi and Office of Government Ethics (OGE) Director David Huitema to uphold federal ethics laws relevant to Elon Musk’s role as a Special Government Employee (SGE). Given Musk’s vast involvement in federally regulated industries and potential profit from his role in DOGE, the Department of Justice (DOJ) and OGE have an obligation to enforce conflict-of-interest laws to protect public trust in decision-making and uphold the integrity of government institutions.
 
This week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated that Musk alone has the authority to determine when his actions in government and overlapping business interest present a conflict of interest.
 
“Given Mr. Musk’s extensive business holdings in addition to SpaceX – including Tesla and X (formerly Twitter) – it is critical that the DOJ ensure compliance with this statute to preserve public trust in government,” the lawmakers wrote. 
 
They continued, “Mr. Musk’s position as an SGE demands heightened scrutiny. His companies routinely engage with federal agencies on matters such as defense contracts, telecommunications regulations, and energy policy. Any participation by Mr. Musk in governmental matters impacting these sectors risks violating Section 208 given that his financial interests could be directly implicated. The law’s criminal and civil enforcement mechanisms, which fall solely under the DOJ’s authority, must be rigorously applied to prevent actual or perceived conflicts of interest.”  
 
Representatives Hank Johnson (GA-04), Pramila Jaypal (WA-07), Becca Balint (VT-AL), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-30), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Eric Swalwell (CA-14),  Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05), Jasmine Crockett (TX-30), Dan Goldman (NY-10), and Valerie Foushee (NC-04) also signed the letter. Full text of the letter is available here.