Elon Musk lashed out at CBS' "60 Minutes" on Sunday, accusing the news program of election interference and claiming its staff "deserve a long prison sentence."
The comments came in response to a segment featuring a former USAID administrator refuting claims of widespread fraud within the agency, Mediaite reported.
In a post on X on Sunday, Musk accused CBS's "60 Minutes" of being the "biggest liars in the world" and asserted that its staff "deserve a long prison sentence."
Musk made the remarks in response to a tweet from "60 Minutes" promoting its latest episode, which featured Andrew Natsios, a Republican former administrator of USAID. The segment addressed claims made by President Donald Trump, who has argued that USAID is plagued by fraud. Natsios, however, dismissed Trump's claims as "utter nonsense" and defended the agency as "the most accountable aid agency in the world."
Musk responded forcefully, alleging that the program engaged in "deliberate deception to interfere with the last election." He also shared a clip from "60 Minutes"' interview with Vice President Kamala Harris during the election, reigniting controversy over the network's coverage.
Trump has previously criticized "60 Minutes" for its handling of his administration's interviews, particularly the one involving Harris. He later sued CBS over the edited interview, leading to the release of a full transcript and unedited footage by CBS and the Federal Communications Commission.
Musk's comments were not the only backlash against the "60 Minutes" episode.
Vice President J.D. Vance highlighted another segment of the program, in which German prosecutors discussed their country's laws allowing charges for online insults. Vance criticized the policy, saying, "Insulting someone is not a crime, and criminalizing speech is going to put real strain on European-U.S. relationships. This is Orwellian, and everyone in Europe and the U.S. must reject this lunacy."
Vance also responded to MSNBC's Mehdi Hasan, who criticized the White House for barring Associated Press reporters from events due to the outlet's refusal to use the term "Gulf of America" instead of the "Gulf of Mexico."
In response, Vance dismissed concerns over press access, writing, "Yes, dummy. I think there's a difference between not giving a reporter a seat in the WH press briefing room and jailing people for dissenting views. The latter is a threat to free speech; the former is not. Hope that helps!"
Musk's call for "60 Minutes" staffers to be imprisoned drew significant attention, with some observers, including Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who shared Vance's statement alongside Musk's remarks, writing, "Now do you guys."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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