The Department of Justice (DOJ) has come out with strong words for France as United States officials have refused to help French investigators go after Elon Musk’s platform X. The new investigation comes after French authorities raided the company’s Paris office earlier this year.
According to reports, Washington is not joining what it calls a politically-motivated case targeting an American tech business, according to a two-page letter sent Friday by the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The letter reportedly said, “This investigation seeks 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.”
DOJ rejects France’s requests on political grounds
The DOJ also said France’s requests “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.” French authorities had already made three separate requests for US help in 2025. Those included attempts to serve legal summons to X officials.
Investigators had already raided the company’s Paris office in February, pushing tensions higher between European regulators and the platform. X described that raid as “an abusive act of law enforcement theater.” French officials have since summoned Elon, former CEO Linda Yaccarino, and other employees for what they called voluntary interviews. Elon was scheduled to appear on Monday.
Under French law, skipping such a summons can lead to arrest warrants. That puts real legal risk on the table. Authorities are looking into claims tied to deepfake content and alleged bias in X’s algorithm, arguing the system favors Elon’s views. The case started in January 2025 after complaints from a lawmaker and another official who said the platform’s content selection could count as foreign interference in France.
Prosecutors are also reviewing serious charges like the distribution of child pornography. An xAI official allegedly said, “We are grateful to the Justice Department for rejecting this effort by a prosecutor in Paris to compel our CEO and several employees to sit for interviews.” The same official added, “We hope the Parisian authorities will now come to their senses, recognize that there is no wrongdoing here, and terminate their baseless investigation.” X operates under Elon’s AI firm xAI, which is now owned by SpaceX.
Meanwhile, as the legal fight plays out, France is also annoying Trump on a totally different front. President Emmanuel Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer are working on a joint plan focused on the Strait of Hormuz. They are pushing a European-led mission to reopen the shipping route after the conflict ends, without relying on US leadership. The proposal introduces a naval force made up of Britain, France, and other non-belligerent countries. Deployment would only happen after the fighting stops.
