A retired FBI agent, deeply concerned by a directive from Elon Musk, secretly proposed a criminal investigation into Musk’s actions while leading the Department of Government Efficiency. The agent believed Musk’s use of a social media platform to conduct official business mirrored a past controversy involving a prominent political figure.
The impetus for this internal push came after Musk implemented a new productivity reporting mandate for federal employees in early 2025. He demanded weekly reports detailing five completed tasks, delivered via email, with a stark warning: silence would be interpreted as resignation.
An email, shared as a legally protected disclosure, reveals the agent’s concerns. He argued that Musk’s actions compelled thousands of government employees to potentially violate security protocols by transmitting sensitive information outside secure channels.
The agent specifically pointed to Musk’s use of a monetized social media platform – then known as X – to disseminate official information. He suggested this could constitute a conflict of interest, potentially generating personal income from government work, a clear violation of his agreement as a special government employee.
The comparison to Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server was direct and pointed. The agent believed Musk’s actions, like Clinton’s, raised serious questions about the handling of sensitive government information and potential security breaches.
The email, sent to a colleague within the FBI’s public corruption squad, requested the opening of a formal criminal investigation. The agent offered to draft the case proposal and seek a prosecutor, or alternatively, escalate the matter to the Office of Personnel Management’s Inspector General or Congress.
Just days after this request, a new FBI Director was confirmed by the Senate. Within months, that Director would dismantle the very unit to which the agent had sent his concerns – the CR-15 public corruption squad – a move framed as a necessary step to eliminate decades of political bias within the Bureau.
The FBI later stated that no investigation into Musk was ever initiated and that the agent who raised the alarm was no longer employed by the Bureau. Officials emphasized a commitment to equal justice under the law and an end to politically motivated investigations.
The dismantling of the CR-15 squad followed revelations that the unit had previously tracked the private communications of Republican lawmakers, further fueling accusations of political targeting. The new Director asserted his commitment to restoring the FBI’s core mission.
The agent’s concerns, though ultimately unacted upon within the FBI, paint a picture of a tense moment where the intersection of government, technology, and personal profit raised serious questions about security and ethical conduct.
