Elon Musk faces calls for investigation as House Republican claims billionaire may have broken the law: ‘This is a very serious matter’
Pennsylvania’s Republican Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick said Elon Musk’s reported involvement in slowing down the military-grade Starshield satellite service in Ukraine was “likely a violation of the law.” Speaking on CNN’s The Source with Kaitlan Collins, Fitzpatrick called for a congressional investigation and to compel witnesses to testify under oath.
A bombshell Wall Street Journal report said the 55-year-old Tesla titan personally ordered a speed restriction on Starlink and Starshield services used by Ukraine, capping terminal speeds around 100 mph and disrupting frontline drone and defense operations. The move followed friction over Ukrainian strikes on Russian oil refineries, drawing scrutiny and calls for investigations from lawmakers.
Ukrainian military officials say SpaceX implemented a new 100 mph speed restriction on mobile terminals. This unexpected throttling caused military hardware and offensive/interceptor drones to lose connectivity for up to 20 seconds at a time, crippling frontline operations.
Reports from the Journal indicate that the slowdown followed frustration from Musk and President Donald Trump regarding Ukrainian drone strikes targeting Russian diesel refineries.
“Is it clear to you who is responsible for this?” Collins asked Fitzpatrick. “Is it Elon Musk?”
“Well, that’s what the report says, but we gotta investigate,” said Fitzpatrick. “We gotta call the witnesses, gotta bring ’em in, put ’em under oath, and get to the bottom of it because this is a very, very serious matter. It cannot be glossed over. We cannot just move past this. This is a serious, serious issue because lapsing Starshield in that matter — that costs human lives. There’s gotta be consequences to that.”
‘There’s Gotta Be Consequences’
Fitzpatrick continued, saying, “If it is in fact Mr. Musk that ordered this, that is likely a violation of the law because he has authority, decision-making authority over Starlink, the civilian commercial product, but not Starshield, which is a military-grade national security tool. So, no civilian, no individual civilian, should have any decision-making authority on how that’s deployed. So, that’s what we need to get to the bottom of.”
The lawmaker added that the push to investigate Musk is bipartisan.
“I promise you, Kaitlan, I’ve spoken to several of my colleagues across the aisle over the past several days. There is a strong, strong resolve to, immediately upon our return, get to the bottom of this through oversight, and there’s gotta be consequences,” he said.
Fitzpatrick concluded, “We have to get to the bottom of it, and we will.”
While Fitzpatrick’s recent demand marks a notable push for accountability from within the Republican Party, Musk has faced a series of multi-partisan legal challenges and congressional criticisms over the past year.
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 to refer complaints to the Brown County District Attorney’s office, finding probable cause that Musk violated state law by offering $1 million payouts to voters during the 2025 state Supreme Court election, which Musk lost.
Democratic Lawmakers Push for Elon Musk Investigation
Democratic lawmakers have also pushed for investigations, inquiries into federal employment/service limits (such as special government employee thresholds), and greater oversight of his influence and government contracts.
Lawmakers like Rep. Greg Casar (D-TX) have previously noted that Musk’s lawful tenure as a “special government employee” in the Trump administration was subject to strict federal limits, adding to calls for congressional oversight.
Congressional Democrats have heavily criticized Musk’s influence, introducing measures like the “Stop Musk Act” to push back against his involvement in federal operations, citing concerns over government worker retaliation and data security.
