A progressive attorney has written an open letter to Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head Elon Musk, accusing him of undermining democracy and vowing never to buy a Tesla car again.
Why It Matters
In his letter, Marc Elias, an election attorney for Democratic politicians, plays into a debate about the President Donald Trump’s drastic cuts to the federal budget and Musk’s role in that process.
Newsweek sought email comment from Musk and DOGE on Thursday.
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What To Know
On February 13, liberal lawyer Norm Eisen, announced on X, formerly Twitter, that he was suing Musk and DOGE for obtaining large amounts of data from federal departments as part of Musk’s cost-cutting efforts for the Trump administration.
In response, Musk wrote on X on February 14: “You and Marc Elias are undermining civilization. Did you guys suffer childhood trauma or something? This seems like a generational trauma transfer issue.”
In response to Musk’s barbed comments,Elias posted the letter on Democracy Docket’s website on February 20, saying he would never stop fighting the Trump administration.
He also said he would not use Musk’s products again, from X to Tesla.
“I used to be a regular on Twitter, where I amassed over 900,000 followers—all organic except for the right-wing bots who seemed to grow in number,” Elias wrote. “Like many others, I stopped regularly posting on the site because, under your stewardship, it became a hellscape of hate and misinformation.
“I also used to buy your cars—first a Model X and then a Model S—back when you spoke optimistically about solving the climate crisis. My family no longer owns any of your cars and never will.”
He went on to say that while Musk joked about Elias suffering “generational trauma,” in reality his family suffered massive trauma as Jews in czarist Russia and were lucky to escape to the U.S before worse came with the Nazi invasion of Russia.
“My great-grandfather was fortunate to leave when he did,” he wrote. “Those who stayed faced even worse circumstances when Hitler’s army later invaded. That is the generational trauma I carry.”
What People Are Saying
Attorney Marc Elias, in response to a comment from Elon Musk on X: “As an immigrant yourself, you can no doubt sympathize with what it means to leave behind your country, extended family, friends and neighbors to come to the United States. Of course, you probably [had] more than 86 rubles in your pocket. You probably didn’t ride for nine days in the bottom of a ship or have your surname changed by immigration officials.”
What Happens Next
The court will give Musk and DOGE an opportunity to respond in writing to Eisen’s 44-page lawsuit filed in a Maryland federal court on February 13. Musk will likely seek a summary judgment against Eisen. If that is not granted, the case will move to pre-trial motions and disclosures.
