In a post released on his X profile, Elon Musk accused Alexander Vindman, a key witness in Trump’s first impeachment, of treason, wishing that he “pay the appropriate penalty.” Specifically, the world’s richest man and leading supporter of the president-elect, for whom he will lead the new DOGE, targeted comments made by the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council during an appearance on MSNBC.
Vindman, who testified in 2019 that Trump pressured Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to launch an investigation into then-presidential candidate Joe Biden, cited reports that Musk had engaged in secret conversations with Vladimir Putin dating back to 2022. He then expressed concern that the 53-year-old, may have shared “state secrets” with the Russian president.
“And [Putin’s] been using the richest man in the world to do his bidding”, Vindman stated to MSNBC, “In some cases, that’s encouraging him probably to support Donald Trump. We see how far in Elon has gone.”
Musk’s response was not long in coming: on his social channels, in fact, he wrote: “Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States, for which he will pay the appropriate penalty.”
In turn, the former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council reiterated: “Elon, here you go again making false and completely unfounded accusations without providing any specifics. That’s the kind of response one would expect from a conspiracy theorist. What oligarch? What treason? Let me help you out with the facts: I don’t take/have never taken money from any oligarchs Ukrainian or other otherwise. You, Elon, appear to believe you can act with impunity and are attempting to silence your critics. I’m not intimidated.”
Naturally, Musk’s words certainly did not go unnoticed, generating outrage and controversy. After all, conviction for treason includes capital punishment. “Oh nothing, just a person deeply integrated into the incoming administration’s center of power calling for the execution of one of his critics,” Berny Belvedere, senior editor of The Unpoulist, said wryly on Bluesky.
“Lying about a private citizen and making a not-so-veiled threat that he will be executed. And the person doing it is the richest guy in the world and a major government contractor. Do I have that right?”, wrote the editor of The Bulwark, Adam Keiper.
Given the huge fuss generated by his words, Musk later communicated on X that he “only” meant to say that Vindman “has committed treason and belongs behind bars.” However, the 53-year-old did not explain why Vindman should be accused of being on the payroll of some Ukrainian oligarch.
