The Federal Trade Commission plans to depose Elon Musk as part of its probe into Twitter, the social media platform that Musk bought for $44 billion last year, according to a person familiar with the investigation.
The FTC late last year deepened an investigation into Twitters privacy and data security practices in the wake of the companys takeover by Musk, Bloomberg reported last year. The deposition of Musk would mark an escalation of that investigation.
The FTC has pummeled Twitter with document requests, asking the company to turn over communications related to its recent layoffs, Musks leadership and other topics, according to the congressional report. The agency is also asking for documents related to the so-called Twitter Files, a project in which Musk gave outside journalists access to internal Twitter information.
The information about the investigation comes from a report released Tuesday by the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, which provides insight into the FTCs response to Musks Twitter takeover.
The Wall Street Journal first reported on the FTCs plans.
A shameful case of weaponization of a government agency for political purposes and suppression of the truth! Musk posted on Twitter Tuesday.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The FTC declined to comment.
The FTC in the three months after Musks acquisition sent over a dozen letters to Twitter. The House Judiciary Committee Republicans in their report claimed the outreach shows that the agency has been attempting to harass the company.
Twitter is currently under a consent decree with the FTC, meaning the agency is supposed to conduct oversight of the companys privacy practices. Many of the layoffs under Musk have hit employees charged with protecting privacy and security on the social media platform.
Fortunes CFO Daily newsletter is the must-read analysis every finance professional needs to get ahead. Sign up today.
