The international affairs bureau of the U.S. Department of Justice has informed French authorities that Washington will not facilitate their investigation into Elon Musk, who was summoned on Monday by the Paris prosecutor’s office.
In a two-page letter seen by the Wall Street Journal, the U.S. Department of Justice warned French authorities that Washington will not assist in their investigation into the algorithmic operation of X, the platform owned by Elon Musk.
Elon Musk is scheduled to appear on Monday, April 20, before the Paris prosecutor’s office for an “informal interview” as part of an investigation launched in early 2025. However, it is unclear whether the owner of X will comply with the summons.
A search was conducted at the French offices of the social network on February 3, escalating tensions between Paris and the 54-year-old entrepreneur, who at the time referred to it as “a political attack.” In late March, the billionaire called the French prosecutors who alerted U.S. authorities to a possible “artificial valuation” of the social network X as “mental retards.”
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“This investigation aims to use the French criminal justice system to regulate a public space dedicated to freedom of expression, in violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” lamented the international affairs bureau of the Department of Justice in its letter.
They argue that assisting France in its investigations “constitutes an attempt to involve the United States in a criminal procedure with strong political connotations, intending to regulate, through legal proceedings, the commercial activities of a social media platform.”
Investigations into the social network owned by Elon Musk were opened after two reports received on January 12, 2025. The investigation was entrusted to the General Directorate of the National Gendarmerie (DGGN) and expanded after further reports. These concerned Grok, the AI integrated into the social network, for the dissemination of denialist content and sexually explicit deepfakes.
In addition to Elon Musk, other employees of Platform X are summoned in the coming days, always as witnesses. Among them is Linda Yaccarino, the former CEO of the platform.
