The following article is a supplement to the MRC Report: The Biden Administration Waged War on Free Speech with 57 Censorship Initiatives.
Defending free speech has a heavy cost, even if you are the world’s wealthiest man. 
After businessman and futurist Elon Musk purchased Twitter, renamed it X and declared it a haven for “free speech,” Biden-led agencies targeted Musk’s businesses in the hopes he would abandon his First Amendment pursuit. Below are the four of the most egregious examples of the Biden administration’s war against Musk.
- The FCC’s Targeting of Starlink
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revoked an $885 million award it had given to Starlink, which is owned by Musk's SpaceX. A dissent by Commissioner Brendan Carr explained the agency had targeted Starlink because Musk was promoting free speech on X.
Carr elaborated that the FCC revoked “Starlink’s $885 million award by making up an entirely new standard of review that no entity could ever pass and then applying that novel standard to only one entity: Starlink.”
The $855 million award would have gone to expanding internet access in rural communities and included in this number were funds for working Starlink kits in North Carolina. When Hurricane Helene then ravaged that area, thousands were left stranded with little ability to get help, drawing Musk’s criticism.
“Had the FCC not illegally revoked the SpaceX Starlink award, it would probably have saved lives in North Carolina,” Musk wrote on X. At least 104 people died as a direct result of the devastation left by Hurricane Helene.
- The SEC’s Targeting of Neuralink
In 2023, four far-left congressmen—Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Tony Cardenas (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Jim McGovern (D-MA)—sent a letter to Biden’s Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) calling for an investigation into Musk’s tech firm Neuralink. The letter accused Musk of misleading investors when he said no monkeys had died from Neuralink’s experiments (Neuralinks develops brain implants to treat “neurological ailments” such as paralysis).
The congressmen claimed to have veterinary records saying that some of the monkeys were injured (but not killed) by Neuralink implants. As Neuralink used terminally ill monkeys, it is unclear how such a statement could be proven or disproven. Tellingly, Cardenas had previously lamented Musk’s pro-free speech policies and claimed X (then Twitter) had a “responsibility to moderate content for ALL users.”
The SEC opened an investigation into Neuralink. In 2024, the SEC sent a “settlement demand,” which gave Musk only two days to decide whether to accept the terms or “face charges on numerous accounts.” The SEC also subpoenaed Musk’s attorney, Alex Spiro, to testify—even though attorney–client communications are generally privileged, meaning they cannot be uncovered in litigation.
Spiro commented that the SEC’s letter followed “a multi-year investigation and more than six years of harassment of Mr. Musk by the Commission and its Staff.” He concluded it was “clear” that the commission was “not motivated to seek the truth but [was] instead engaged in an improperly motivated campaign against Mr. Musk and the individuals and companies associated with him.”
- The SEC’s Targeting of Musk’s Purchase of X
In addition to its campaign against Neuralink, the SEC sued Musk for his acquisition of Twitter. The SEC accused Musk of unlawfully receiving $150 million in the
acquisition because he filed an SEC report eleven days late. Musk paid $44 billion to purchase Twitter.
Musk insisted that he misunderstood the SEC’s byzantine filing rules. Spiro observed that “the SEC’s multi-year campaign of harassment against Mr. Musk culminated in the filing of a single-count ticky tack complaint against Mr. Musk under Section 13(d) for an alleged administrative failure to file a single form — an offense that, even if proven, carries a nominal penalty.”
The SEC also urged a federal judge to fine Musk for allegedly missing a meeting with its lawyers.
- The USDA Targeting of Neuralink
Just weeks after Musk completed his acquisition of Twitter, Reuters revealed that Biden’s Department of Agriculture (USDA) was also investigating Neuralink. The probe was initiated by Inspector General Phyllis Fong at the suggestion of a federal prosecutor (the name of the prosecutor was not disclosed).
After Biden’s retirement, Fong was fired from her post at the USDA. She refused to leave and had to be escorted out by security.
Fong then sued President Donald Trump to get reinstated to her old job. The litigation is ongoing.
Conservatives are under attack! Contact your representatives and state prosecutors and demand they investigate Biden administration lawfare and censorship. If you have been censored, contact us using CensorTrack’s contact form, and help us hold government and Big Tech accountable.
