Already a subscriber? Make sure to log into your account before viewing this content. You can access your account by hitting the “login” button on the top right corner. Still unable to see the content after signing in? Make sure your card on file is up-to-date.

The US government is trying to join Elon Musk’s legal challenge against a €120 million (about $140 million) fine the European Union slapped on his social media platform X.

Some shit you should know before you dig in: Back in December, the European Commission fined X €120 million, the first penalty ever issued under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), after a two-year investigation found the platform broke the bloc’s transparency rules in three ways. Regulators said X’s blue check mark system was deceptive because the badge was for sale and X never checked who was buying it, making it harder for users to tell real accounts from fake ones. They also said X didn’t keep a clear, searchable record of the ads running on the platform, which the law requires so people can see who is paying to target them, and that it blocked researchers from accessing public data they’re entitled to study under the DSA. X has since appealed the fine, with Musk and the company asking the EU’s General Court in February to throw it out entirely.

What’s going on now: In a notable development, the US Justice Department filed an application with that court asking to intervene on X’s side, arguing that the EU overstepped by going after an American company and that regulators set the penalty using the combined worldwide revenue of all of Musk’s companies instead of X’s European revenue alone. The department also said the EU improperly scrutinized Musk personally and dragged in his other companies, including SpaceX, which now owns X.

“The European Commission inappropriately attempted to expand its regulatory authority to reach American companies not present or operating within its jurisdiction,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett Shumate, who runs the department’s civil division. “We will not tolerate the European Commission engaging in regulatory over-reach to try and control American engines of innovation and economic growth.”

The European Commission has pushed back, saying its rules apply to every company no matter where it’s based and exist to protect Europe’s digital and democratic standards.

This all comes as the Trump administration keeps attacking European tech rules it says unfairly target American companies and conservative speech, with Trump calling the EU’s penalties “overseas extortion.”