Press Releases

Washington, D.C. (April 2, 2025)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter to Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel to demand the FBI provide urgent information to the American people on the myriad national security threats posed by Elon Musk, a businessman with close ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) who has gained unfettered, unaccountable, and unexplained access to the records of the U.S. Government.

“I write today to ask that you provide crucial information to the American people about the national security and intelligence risk that Elon Musk may pose to our country. […] Mr. Musk’s access to national security secrets and the sensitive data of hundreds of millions of Americans is alarming because his companies rely on Chinese markets and Chinese consumers for much of their business and revenue growth. […] Mr. Musk’s continuing reliance on and repeated overtures to China now pose not only inescapable ethical problems for Mr. Musk, but serious national security and intelligence risks for America.”

Recently, the New York Times reported that Elon Musk was scheduled to receive a Pentagon briefing regarding the U.S. military’s operational plans regarding a potential war with China, which are “among the military’s most closely guarded secrets.” Musk denied that his visit included such military plans, and even went so far as to demand prosecution of anyone in the Pentagon who leaked such information.

This revelation, amidst broader reports detailing the enormous control Musk has come to wield over our government, is particularly concerning in light of Musk’s increasing reliance on the CCP for his business success. For years, Musk has cultivated and maintained close ties with the authoritarian CCP, visiting China and meeting with high-level CCP officials at least five times over the past seven years, and currying favors and receiving benefits from the Chinese government. China currently accounts for more than a third of Tesla sales.

Musk’s actions occurred alongside China’s growing corporate espionage efforts, in which Chinese spies infiltrate U.S. companies to steal American trade secrets, data, or other information to gain strategic advantage for China. 

Ranking Member Raskin raised serious concerns about Musk’s partnership with CCP officials, which warrants careful analysis by our nation’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and demanded the FBI act to protect Americans whose sensitive data is at risk.

“The FBI must act now to protect Americans’ personal data. Mr. Musk […] is a businessman whose economic future is inextricably linked with that of the Chinese Communist Party. And he possesses one thing the Chinese Government wants: access to our nation’s sensitive records, including potentially highly sensitive information about the U.S. military’s analyses of Chinese threats. Under any other Administration, Republican or Democrat, such an individual would never be granted a security clearance, much less given such broad access to the American people’s records and sensitive information related to national security,” concluded Ranking Member Raskin.

Ranking Member Raskin requested the FBI provide the Committee with a briefing on the FBI Counterintelligence Program’s best practices to safeguard American interests against threats posed by the CCP. He also requested that the FBI provide all documents, information, and communications related to Elon Musk’s business ventures in China, his access to sensitive data, and potential national security threats.

Click here to read today’s letter.