Judge rules Elon Musk engaged in state-sanctioned intimidation

A federal magistrate judge in Virginia has ruled that Elon Musk engaged in “little more than state sanctioned intimidation” against Mary Comans, the former Chief Financial Officer of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

In an eight-page ruling, Judge William Fitzpatrick found that Musk, acting as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration, used his platform on X to falsely accuse Comans of criminal conduct. Specifically, Musk posted that Comans had diverted $58 million to hotels for illegal immigrants in Manhattan. The judge noted that Musk published a photo of Comans to his millions of followers, an act intended to make her “afraid” and which served no legitimate governmental interest.

The ruling follows the February 2025 dismissal of Comans and three colleagues by the Department of Homeland Security, who were labeled “deep state activists.” Judge Fitzpatrick stated that high-ranking officials, including Musk and then-DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, coordinated a campaign to attack Comans’ personal and professional integrity despite knowing the accusations regarding the misuse of FEMA funds were false.