Elon Musk’s claim that the Steele Dossier was “unquestionably election interference” was fact-checked by users on X, formerly Twitter, over the weekend. Musk suggested that former President Donald Trump was a victim of a double standard when he was convicted in New York on 34 felony counts related to hush money payments made to Stormy Daniels, who alleged a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006. Trump’s legal team maintains his innocence and plans to fight the case, including an appeal if necessary.
The Steele Dossier, commissioned by the DNC and the Clinton campaign in 2016, contains unverified intelligence reports on Trump’s relationship with Russia. Musk claimed that Clinton was guilty of election interference in 2016 because her campaign paid for the dossier and listed the payments as “legal services” on FEC forms. However, multiple X users fact-checked Musk, pointing out that the dossier was not made public until January 2017, two months after the presidential election. Trump’s lawsuits against Steele and others related to the dossier have been largely unsuccessful.
In 2019, Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election concluded that there was no collusion between Trump’s campaign and Russia. Trump has consistently denied any ties to Russia and has referred to allegations of collusion as the “Russia hoax.” After the guilty verdict in Trump’s New York criminal case, Musk described it as a trivial matter and suggested that anyone could be at risk of a similar fate. Trump maintains that the legal issues he faces are part of a “witch hunt” by Democrats and constitute election interference as he campaigns for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
Trump’s legal challenges have continued in both the UK and the US, with lawsuits against Steele and Clinton being dismissed, and legal fees being awarded against Trump. The former president’s claims of innocence and accusations of a witch hunt continue as he seeks a return to the White House. Musk and others have been fact-checking and sharing information related to the Steele Dossier and its implications for Trump’s legal troubles, highlighting discrepancies in Musk’s claims about election interference. The ongoing legal battles and political landscape surrounding Trump’s presidency provide a backdrop for the scrutiny Musk has faced regarding his statements on social media.
