In response to reports that Elon Musk is personally funding Republicans who are advocating for impeaching federal judges for ruling against Trump, End Citizens United (ECU) President Tiffany Muller issued the following statement:
“After Donald Trump demanded that a judge who ruled against him be impeached, Elon Musk opened his checkbook to reward Republicans who immediately fell in line. Musk and Trump’s corruption knows no bounds––they see democracy as something to be bought and sold. By bankrolling Republicans who want to impeach federal judges for simply enforcing the law, Musk is sending a clear message that he’ll use his wealth to get rid of anyone who stands up to him or Trump.
“And these contributions may just be the beginning, as Musk has shown that he’s more than willing to spend hundreds of millions of dollars to buy our elections. This is exactly what happens in the absence of anti-corruption laws: billionaires buy political power and put themselves above the law and the Constitution.”
NYT: Musk Donates to G.O.P. Members of Congress Who Support Impeaching Judges
Maggie Haberman, Theodore Schleifer and Annie Karni
03/19/25
Key Points:
- Amid a controversy over whether President Trump will abide by court rulings, Elon Musk gave the maximum to the campaigns of Republicans who back ousting judges who impede the administration.
- Elon Musk has made the maximum allowable donation to Republican members of Congress who support impeaching federal judges who are impeding actions taken by President Trump, according to five people with knowledge of the matter.
- Mr. Musk has given what had been until recently the legal maximum hard-dollar donation — $6,600 — to the campaigns of seven Republicans who have either endorsed judicial impeachments or called for some form of “action” in response to recent rulings against the Trump administration, including a weekend decision by Judge James E. Boasberg of Federal District Court in Washington.
- Mr. Musk contributed on Wednesday to Representatives Eli Crane of Arizona, Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, Andrew Clyde of Georgia, Derrick Van Orden of Wisconsin and Brandon Gill of Texas. He also donated to Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, according to two of the people briefed on the matter.
- The contributions to relatively safe Republican incumbents sent a message about Mr. Musk’s willingness to help lawmakers supportive of Mr. Trump’s agenda. And they underscored how willing Mr. Musk has been to use the potential of his support to advance Mr. Trump’s goals, including ones that many Republican lawmakers had been hoping to avoid, such as impeaching a judge.
- Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. issued a rare statement soon after Mr. Trump’s post, saying, “For more than two centuries, it has been established that impeachment is not an appropriate response to disagreement concerning a judicial decision.” He added, “The normal appellate review process exists for that purpose.”
- Mr. Musk’s efforts on behalf of Mr. Trump are sure to intensify attempts in Congress to please the billionaire owner of SpaceX and Tesla, as well as the president, by pursuing impeachment hearings against judges they see as hostile to the administration’s agenda.
- Mr. Musk, of course, could also follow up with even more money to outside groups supporting the effort that are not subject to contribution limits. He spent almost $300 million on the 2024 election, and his super PAC has pledged to focus on down-ballot races in 2025.
- Mr. Musk has generally favored backing his own groups, rather than donating directly to politicians. During the 2024 general election, Mr. Musk was slow to donate to Mr. Trump’s campaign, even as he invested large amounts of money into his pro-Trump super PAC. Recently, that super PAC spent $1 million on a national ad praising Mr. Trump.
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