Musk to Absent House Democrat on Subpoena Vote: ‘Don’t Be a F—-l’

Tech billionaire and Department of Government Efficiency leader Elon Musk told Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) not to “be a fool” after Khanna missed a vote to subpoena Musk and subsequently commented about it online.

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On Wednesday, Republicans on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee swiftly blocked a Democrat-led effort to subpoena Musk to testify before the panel about the ongoing changes to the federal government under his leadership at Tesla. The vote failed 19-20 due to a lack of Democratic support, with Khanna being one of the lawmakers absent from the vote.

Khanna later clarified on X (formerly Twitter) that he didn’t abstain from voting but had simply missed it. “I would have voted yes,” he explained. “They called a procedural vote without notice, and I, along with 8 others, didn’t make it there on time.”

Khanna went on to criticize Musk for his attacks on federal institutions, calling them unconstitutional. He argued that Musk should be subpoenaed and questioned by the committee, adding that the vote should be called again with proper notice.

In a response to Khanna’s post, Musk replied, “Don’t be a fool.”

Khanna responded by pointing out that the two had known each other for a long time and emphasized that Musk shouldn’t stop payments that Congress had already authorized and appropriated. “Make recommendations to Congress, but don’t stop payments. That’s Article I,” he said. Khanna also suggested a debate on the need for the Department of Energy (DOE).