Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell has stoked a conspiracy principle Elon Musk used his Starlink satellite tv for pc community to rig the 2024 presidential election for Trump.
Throughout an look with a left-wing podcaster, Swalwell was requested in regards to the integrity of the earlier election and the position that Starlink could have performed.
The host remarked:
The enemies allegedly stole U.S. information. The leak got here by Elon Musk’s Starlink. I imply, I’m certain you’ve heard individuals, based mostly on all of this info that’s occurred since then, surprise if 2024 was safe. However extra importantly, Consultant, about 2026 and 2028, are you able to discuss that somewhat bit? Do you’ve got issues?
Swalwell, who’s best known for being honey-trapped by a Chinese language spy named Fang Fang, responded:
Elon Musk has completed nothing within the final 5 months to make me assume that we shouldn’t ask questions on what the hell he was doing in 2024.
Possibly we gave him an excessive amount of of the good thing about the doubt, you already know, after the election, however the best way that he’s performed himself with DOGE, and the best way that, you already know, he’s uncovered us to so many hackers exterior.
The best way that he’s taken information, you already know, from People, from our data — whether or not it’s Social Safety or well being care data, the one approach that we will perceive, you already know, what the hell Elon Musk has been doing is to be within the majority.
Swalwell added that being within the majority would give Democrats “subpoena energy,” which he would use to analyze the spurious allegations.
Watch the clip beneath:
Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) stokes 2024 election denial on a far-left podcast (examine the host’s shirt) and vows to make use of “subpoena energy” on @elonmusk about whether or not Starlink gave election information to the Russians if Democrats win the midterms
“Elon Musk has completed nothing within the final 5… pic.twitter.com/mt35ud4OKA
— Breitbart Information (@BreitbartNews) May 1, 2025
Whereas it’s unclear precisely what Swalwell and the host are literally suggesting, many leftists theorized within the wake of his election victory that Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc community was used to govern the election outcomes.
The Telegraph explained on the time:
Left-wing conspiracy theorists have claimed the 2024 US presidential election was “stolen”, as posts falsely alleging Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite tv for pc community was used to govern the end result unfold on social media.
Claims that 20m votes within the election have “disappeared” or that Starlink was used to intervene with vote-counting machines have been shared by 1000’s of individuals throughout X, Threads and TikTok.
A nine-minute video claiming states had used “Starlink in an effort to tally up or depend ballots” had greater than 100,000 likes, 55,000 shares and had been considered virtually 900,000 occasions on TikTok. The video falsely claimed: “That is why the numbers don’t make sense.”
Related claims that Mr Musk, a Trump ally, could have used Starlink to tamper with the election have unfold extensively throughout Threads, the social community owned by Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta, in addition to on X, which is owned by Mr Musk and was beforehand often known as Twitter.
Again in March, Swalwell’s fellow California Democrat Maxine Waters shared the same principle that Musk’s “high-technology ass “interfered with the election outcomes.
“We don’t know every part that Elon Musk has completed, along with his excessive know-how ass,” Waters mentioned on the time.
“We don’t know what he’s been accused of by some as it might relate to the election, however we’re not going to surrender in investigating and discovering out.”
