Musk threatens Democrats teeing up congressional probes

Elon Musk, President Donald Trump's multi-billionaire ally, on Wednesday threatened Democrats who want to investigate alleged corruption and his role in the US government if they win control of Congress next month.

"Live by the sword, die by the sword," Musk wrote on X, the social media platform he owns, in response to a Politico news article about Democrats' plans to probe his activities if they win the midterm elections.

"Those who pick fights with me should understand that I will find out who is really pulling the strings and come for them, not just their puppets," Musk added on the platform, which he regularly uses to promote conspiracy theories.

Musk, the United States' first trillionaire, is a top financial contributor to Trump's Republican Party, a frequent advisor to the president and a major recipient of government contracts through his SpaceX empire. He also controls the pioneering electric car company Tesla.

After helping to bankroll Trump's return to power in the 2024 election, Musk ran a controversial project to slash US government spending and push nearly 300,000 employees out of work.

Republicans currently control the Senate and House of Representatives. However, Democrats are forecasted to win the lower chamber at least on November 3.

This would put Democrats in charge of powerful investigative committees, with power to compel testimony -- and make Musk a prime target.

"The sheer number of conflicts of interest are astounding," influential Democrat Zoe Lofgren was quoted as saying in Politico's report.