An FBI agent proposed in February 2025 to open a criminal investigation related to Elon Musk and his work with the Government Efficiency Department (DOGE), according to an email released on September 15 by Republican Senator Chuck Grassley.
The message, dated February 22, 2025, was sent by FBI agent Kevin Gounaud to one of his supervisors. In it, Gounaud proposed recommending the opening of an investigation against the person or persons from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) who had authorized the sending of an email to federal employees asking them what they had done during the previous week.
Gounaud argued that the responsible official may have acted in coordination with Musk to violate security policies applicable to the entire federal government and transmit sensitive information outside of established channels and a strict "need to know" criterion.
The agent also questioned whether Musk had used a non-governmental system, then known as Twitter, to communicate information that was allegedly related to official activities. According to Gounaud, since Musk earned income through the monetization and advertising of the platform, the entrepreneur could have generated economic benefits from those communications.
In the email, Gounaud compared the situation to the use of a private email server by Hillary Clinton while serving as Secretary of State. The FBI decided not to take action against Clinton after determining that there was insufficient evidence of criminal intent.
Gounaud also suggested that Musk may have violated federal legislation that restricts the participation of executive branch employees in government matters that could affect their own financial interests.
The agent expressed his willingness to personally push the proposal. "I am willing to draft the case opening and find a prosecutor, or at least try," he wrote to his superior. He later added a clarification to emphasize that he was serious: "And no, I'm not joking."
