Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk has responded to allegations of “election interference” made by Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) in a classified briefing attended by officials from the Biden Justice Department on Tuesday, according to a report.
What Happened: The information about the briefing was shared by Tucker Carlson, conservative media personality and former Fox News host.
He took to X, formerly Twitter, and said that during this classified briefing AOC accused Musk of election interference in the 2022 midterms by altering the algorithms on the social media platform he acquired in October of the same year.
“Not coincidentally, the anti-TikTok legislation now being debated on the Hill would allow the federal government to force the sale of any social media platform that interferes in elections. Just so you know what's coming in 2025,” Carlson posted.
Musk responded to these reported allegations, stating, “Actually, I made the algorithm open source and neutral to all parties, but of course that *is* ‘election interference’ by her standards.”
Why It Matters: This is not the first time Musk has been involved in a controversy related to election interference or integrity.
In a podcast appearance in November 2023, he highlighted X’s goal to be fair and provide a level playing field for all sides in the 2024 Presidential election. At the time, he also said that in the past, the platform was “controlled by far-left activists,” and did not offer a level playing field to everyone.
Moreover, last month he accused Mark Zuckerberg-led Meta Platforms of using “election integrity” as a guise for censorship. “‘Election Integrity’ at Meta is just their word for censorship,” he said then.
Musk’s response to Ocasio-Cortez’s reported allegations comes amid ongoing discussions about anti-TikTok legislation. The bill approved by the House Energy Committee last Thursday mandates that any company found to be under the control of a foreign adversary must undergo divestment within 180 days. It specifically targets ByteDance and TikTok.
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