Elon Musk scraps with Chuck Schumer, suggesting the senator profits from government fraud
Business magnate Elon Musk suggested that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., might be gaining financially from government fraud, an allegation Schumer has denied.
"Chuck, I'm beginning to suspect you get a share of the government fraud proceeds. But that couldn't be the actual reason, could it?" Musk wrote early Tuesday.
Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative to identify waste, fraud and abuse in federal programs, posted this comment after Schumer claimed DOGE was "sabotaging" Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid in both a Senate speech and social media post.
Schumer quickly responded to Musk's insinuation: "Another Elon lie. He wants you to think anyone who dares to stand up to him is committing fraud, meanwhile he's taking tens of billions from the government," he wrote Tuesday.
The exchange continued when Musk replied to another Schumer post claiming Musk was reducing Social Security benefits. "The intern running Schumer's social media account is lying," Musk stated Tuesday on X.
In his Senate address, Schumer had asserted, "Elon Musk is cutting Social Security benefits." He added, "When offices close down, when websites crash, when phone lines shut off, that's no different than cutting benefits."