Ex-FBI agent pushes criminal probe of Elon Musk's X activity, likening it to Clinton email scandal

A February 2025 email from former FBI special agent Kevin Gounaud to supervisory agent Steven T. Dunn recommended opening a criminal investigation into Office of Personnel Management officials who allowed Elon Musk to use the social platform X to promote DOGE, asserting the conduct was comparable to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server for official business. Gounaud argued that Musk's monetized use of X generated personal income and breached government-wide security policies, and he offered to draft the case or refer it to the OPM Office of the Inspector General or Congress.

The push followed Musk's request that federal employees list five weekly accomplishments, prompting scrutiny from Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley, who released the email alongside other FBI records ahead of Director Kash Patel's testimony. Gounaud departed the FBI in February after 21 years and founded a private security firm, and no further action on the proposed probe is evident. The released files also reveal former agent Walter Giardina's multiple requests in early 2017 to join the Crossfire Hurricane team and later investigations, underscoring concerns that FBI agents sometimes seek to select high-profile cases. Grassley noted that similar attempts to investigate Senator Kristen Sinema had also been rebuffed, suggesting broader questions about case-picking within the bureau.