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According to Elon Musk, the House has launched a formal investigation into his refusal to censor Brazilian officials and journalists on his platform.

In a statement, Musk said, “X has received an inquiry from the U.S. House of Representatives regarding actions taken in Brazil that were in violation of Brazilian law,” highlighting the tension between his company and Brazilian authorities. This inquiry stems from Musk’s non-compliance with requests to suspend accounts of certain Brazilian parliament members and journalists, as directed by the country’s judiciary, although the specific House committee or member involved has not been identified.

The conflict intensified when Brazil Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes initiated an inquiry into Musk’s actions following his decision to reactivate accounts that de Moraes had ordered blocked. De Moraes, termed a “dictator” by Musk in a subsequent post, imposed a fine of about $20,000 per day for non-compliance. Despite initially obeying de Moraes’s order, Musk eventually allowed the blocked accounts back on X. According to Elon, “This judge has applied massive fines, threatened to arrest our employees, and cut off access to X in Brazil.”

In defending his stance, Musk emphasized the importance of “principles over profit” and said he may close X’s operations in Brazil. His criticisms of de Moraes didn’t stop there; he has demanded the judge’s resignation, accusing him of betraying Brazil’s constitutional values. “This judge has brazenly and repeatedly betrayed the constitution and people of Brazil. He should resign or be impeached,” Musk argued.

This incident is part of a larger effort by Brazilian authorities, led by de Moraes, to combat “fake news,” including actions against other social media platforms and political figures accused of “undermining democracy.” Brazilian Attorney General Jorge Messias echoed this sentiment, stressing the need for social media regulation. “We cannot live in a society in which billionaires domiciled abroad have control of social networks and put themselves in a position to violate the rule of law,” Messias stated.