WSJ: Biden-Era Agencies Monitored Foreign Guests Visiting Elon Musk

By Staff, Agencies

During President Joe Biden’s administration, US federal authorities investigated foreign nationals who visited Elon Musk’s private properties, according to a report by the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.

Citing sources familiar with the matter, the outlet said that the Department of “Homeland Security” and the Department of Justice carried out the surveillance between 2022 and 2023. No charges were filed as a result of the probe.

The investigation centered on individuals from Eastern Europe and other regions who were suspected of potentially trying to influence Musk. The tech billionaire, who holds key defense contracts through companies like SpaceX, has partial access to classified US information—though not to the most sensitive material.

Musk’s national political presence increased significantly after his 2022 acquisition of Twitter [now X], where he accused the former management of censoring conservative voices.

By 2024, he had emerged as a vocal supporter of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and briefly served in Trump’s administration as an appointee responsible for government efficiency. Their alliance broke down recently after a public exchange of insults over a disputed federal spending bill.

The WSJ also reported that Musk’s close interactions with foreign nationals raised alarms within political circles allied with Trump. A member of Musk’s pro-Trump political action committee said they had to implement rigorous screening measures to block foreign influence.

Prior to Trump’s 2023 electoral win, Musk was also accused—without substantiation—of having covert contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin, something both Musk and the Kremlin have strongly denied.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed the claim as “absolute lies,” clarifying that Musk and Putin had only ever spoken once in the past, in a phone call about technological innovation.

With his recent fallout with Trump, some Democratic officials have speculated that Musk might realign politically. While Musk has previously backed Democratic candidates, he has recently floated the idea of forming a centrist third party to represent what he describes as “the 80% in the middle.”