Last week, we published the latest installment of an extensive investigation revealing Elon Musk's central role in a sophisticated Russian influence operation that helped deliver the 2024 election for Donald Trump. On Friday, two significant developments occurred:
First, Senators Jack Reed and Jeanne Shaheen sent a letter to the Department of Justice calling for an investigation into Musk's Russian contacts, drawing heavily from the analysis we surfaced about his communications with Putin and his role in election interference—though without attribution to our work.
Second, and more disturbingly, Musk responded to news of the Senate inquiry with a direct threat: "I'm going to find out who's making these accusations and nuke them.”
While not addressing me directly, the threat clearly targets those behind the revelations about his Russian connections which we have been laying out on Narativ over several weeks. Our reporting is based on multiple sources and reports by credible news outlets.
This marks the second death threat we've received on X following our investigation into Musk's Russian ties. The first threat was even more explicit, making a chilling reference to Jeffrey Epstein.
Why These Threats Matter
Musk's threat comes from a man operating as a shadow president-elect, newly appointed head of Trump's "Department of Government Efficiency," a holder of classified security clearances, and the owner of America's most popular news platform. His public threats are a dangerous direct assault on press freedom and national security.
A Pattern of Intimidation
The threats against our reporting haven't come in isolation. They're part of a broader pattern by Musk and others in his orbit to discredit our work on X and in the real world, including :
- Coordinated harassment and reputation campaigns to discredit our work
- Targeted and strategic amplification of attacks and shadow bans of our content on X
The Stakes and Path Forward
As Musk prepares to assume formal government power, these threats become significant. The man who threatened to "nuke" journalists for their reporting will soon have oversight of government efficiency and influence over federal agencies, including those that should be investigating these threats.
We urge lawmakers and justice officials to protect independent journalists who uncover these crucial stories.
We also appeal to newsroom editors who in the past have sought to obscure, disappear, or discredit our reporting - whether this is a result of competitive zeal or something more innocent - to help build us up. It is clear now that lives are at stake, and these threats chill our First Amendment rights.
We call on Elon Musk to retract his threats and stop using X as a platform to launch reputation assaults and intimidate journalists.
We will continue our investigation, undeterred. But we call on Congress, the Department of Justice, and the broader journalistic community to recognize that Musk is threatening not just individual journalists but democracy itself.
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*Follow our ongoing investigation as we continue to expose the connections between Russian intelligence, Musk's operation, and the incoming administration.*
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