A high-profile Democrat is facing scrutiny after receiving a formal legal notice from the Department of Justice following controversial comments about billionaire Elon Musk. Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) was sent a letter by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., requesting clarification regarding statements he made during a CNN interview on February 12, 2025.
Garcia, while discussing how Democrats could “stop” Musk, said: “What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight. This is an actual fight for democracy.” The comments raised concerns within the Department of Justice, which is currently investigating whether the remarks amount to a threat against Musk, who was appointed as a government representative during President Donald Trump’s administration.
The legal notice comes amid “Operation Whirlwind,” a sweeping DOJ initiative aimed at cracking down on potentially threatening rhetoric from Democratic lawmakers. According to The Washington Post, the initiative will scrutinize the public statements and actions of high-ranking Democrats, including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Rep. Garcia, both of whom have been vocal critics of Musk’s growing influence in federal agencies.
Musk, who leads Trump’s federal Artificial Intelligence Task Force and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has become a focal point of Democrat frustrations over what they describe as his “unprecedented access” to federal decision-making. However, Garcia’s remarks may have gone beyond simple political opposition, potentially being seen as outright threats by federal prosecutors.
Martin warned in his letter that the DOJ “takes threats against public officials very seriously” and requested a response from Garcia by February 24, 2025. “This sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk – an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you call a ‘d*ck’ – and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry.”
Martin also sent three letters of inquiry to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) for making similarly threatening remarks related to language he directed at Supreme Court Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh on March 4, 2020. “I want to tell you, Gorsuch. I want to tell you, Kavanaugh. You have released the whirlwind and you will pay the price. You won’t know what hit you if you go forward with these awful decisions,” the New York Democrat said during an abortion rights rally outside the Supreme Court.