Technology

DOJ won’t contribute to France’s probe of Musk’s X: Report

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by Sophie Brams - 04/18/26 3:29 PM ET

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by Sophie Brams - 04/18/26 3:29 PM ET

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The Justice Department (DOJ) has informed French authorities that it will not contribute to an investigation into billionaire Elon Musk’s social media platform X, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.

The Journal reported that the DOJ’s Office of International Affairs accused authorities of attempting to use the criminal legal system in France to regulate a “public square for the free expression of ideas and opinions in a manner contrary to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution,” citing a two-page letter dated Friday.

The letter comes just over two months after the X offices in France were raided as part of a probe launched last January into allegations of bias in its content algorithm.

X slammed the raid in a February statement as an “abusive act of law enforcement theater,” framing it as politically motivated rather than “rooted in the fair and impartial administration of justice.”

“The Paris Public Prosecutor’s Office is plainly attempting to exert pressure on X’s senior management in the United States by targeting our French entity and employees, who are not the focus of this investigation,” the company said.

The French case has expanded in recent months, following reports of antisemitic posts on the platform, including Holocaust denial. The spread of child sexual abuse material and nonconsensual deepfake content is also under investigation for potential charges, according to the Journal.

The letter reportedly stated that France had asked for U.S. assistance three times this year, which “constitute an effort to entangle the United States in a politically charged criminal proceeding aimed at wrongfully regulating through prosecution the business activities of a social media platform.”

The Justice Department and X did not immediately respond to The Hill’s requests for comment.

X is also currently under investigation by the European Union to determine whether the company “properly assessed and mitigated risks” when it deployed its AI chatbot Grok.

In February, Musk’s platform appealed a $140 million fine imposed by the EU for violating the Digital Services Act, setting the stage for a landmark legal battle that could shape how online platforms are regulated across Europe.

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