Republicans on the House Oversight Committee shot down an attempt by the panel's Democrats to subpoena Elon Musk, seeking answers about his short stint in the Trump administration.
The surprise move from Democrats to compel Musk to testify before the panel sought to examine government service that, while brief, was impactful and marred by controversy.
Rep. Stephen Lynch (Mass.), the acting top Democrat on the panel, shifted the tune of a hearing on artificial intelligence (AI) by bashing the former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) head, saying President Trump created “disaster and danger…by turning our government over to his biggest campaign donor.”
“We cannot sit here, however, and have the traditional bipartisan conversation about federal IT modernization without acknowledging the fact that the Trump administration, Elon Musk and DOGE are leading technology initiatives that threaten the privacy and security of all Americans and undermine our government and the vital services it provides to red states and blue states," he said.
"Musk may say he has stepped away from his role in the federal government, but his recklessness will continue to have devastating consequences for America for years, possibly decades to come,” Lynch continued.
Republicans, very few of whom were in the room when the hearing began, suspended the hearing to give GOP colleagues more time to arrive and vote down the measure, delaying the hearing for more than 20 minutes.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), who was overseeing the hearing, mocked Democrats, telling them they “looked good” for social media clips as her Democratic colleagues sat before blown up photos of Musk.
Lynch and other Democrats pressed Mace to move forward with a vote as the wait stretched on. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) criticized the delay, noting that “it has historically never taken this long for the clerk to call roll.”
The Thursday push was the second time the panel’s Democrats have pushed to subpoena Musk, though the first since the DOGE leader has left government following the end of his term as a special government employee. His departure also came amid reports about Musk's alleged drug use, which he has denied.
Lynch said Musk was given “free rein to terrorize our civil servants and drive more than 275,000 federal employees from their jobs serving the American people” and said he was among those in the Trump administration who are “more interested in self enrichment than public service.”
Musk officially announced his departure from the Trump administration last week, bringing to a close a tumultuous four months in government for the Tesla CEO. The tech billionaire’s role leading DOGE has been highly controversial, prompting numerous lawsuits challenging Musk and his staffers’ authority and creating headaches for his business empire.
The move comes amid a four-way race to determine the next top Democrat to lead the panel, replacing the late Rep. Gerry Connolly. Lynch has thrown his hat in the ring, as have Crockett, Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) and Kweisi Mfume (D-Md.).
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