FACT CHECK: No, Congress Did Not Call For An Investigation Into Elon Musk’s Actions Regarding Starlink And Crimea

September 14th, 2023
SpaceX, Twitter and electric car maker Tesla CEO Elon Musk looks on as he speaks during his visit at the Vivatech technology startups and innovation fair at the Porte de Versailles exhibition center in Paris, on June 16, 2023. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP) (Photo by ALAIN JOCARD/AFP via Getty Images)
A post shared on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, claims that Congress called for an investigation into billionaire Elon Musk’s actions regarding Starlink, Ukraine and Crimea.
 

Verdict: Misleading

Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren called for a probe into Musk’s actions, not the entire Congress.

Fact Check:

Musk refused to allow Ukraine to use Starlink when it wanted to launch a surprise naval drone attack against the Russian naval vessels based in Sevastopol, Crimea, according to The Associated Press.

Social media users are claiming that the U.S. Congress is calling for an investigation into Musk’s actions. One tweet reads,”‘The US Congress called for an investigation into Elon Musk’s actions in Ukraine in the situation with the Starlink outage near the coast of Crimea’, – Bloomberg.”

This claim, however, is misleading. The Bloomberg article cited in the tweet does not mention that the entire Congress calling for an investigation. The Bloomberg article reports that Warren is calling for a probe into Musk’s actions. It does not mention any other member of Congress beyond Warren. (RELATED: Posts Claims Ukrainian Challenger 2 Tank Was Not Destroyed)

The social media users spreading this claim might be confused by a quote from Warren. Warren said, “The Congress needs to investigate what’s happened here and whether we have adequate tools to make sure foreign policy is conducted by the government and not by one billionaire.”

There is no evidence that the entire Congress is calling for an investigation into Musk’s actions. If they had,  Bloomberg and other media outlets would have reported it.

Check Your Fact reached out to Warren’s office and Bloomberg for comment.

Elias Atienza

Senior Reporter