The Department of Justice (DOJ) under Donald Trump is harassing out gay Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) for allegedly making a threat against Donald Trump’s biggest donor, Elon Musk. Garcia told CNN that Democrats must “bring actual weapons” to the “fight for Democracy” against Musk’s hostile takeover and dismantling of numerous government agencies.
In a Monday letter, U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin Jr. told Garcia to clarify his February 12 comments to CNN, writing, “This sounds like a threat to Mr. Musk … who you call ‘a d**k’ — and government staff who work for him.” The attorney told Garcia to submit a clarification by February 24.
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“This is going to cost lives,” Garcia warned.
Martin’s letter refers to when Garcia displayed a photo of Musk and referred to it as a “d**k pic” at a recent subcommittee hearing. At the hearing, Garcia criticized Musk for accessing the private financial information of hundreds of millions of Americans, gutting government agencies’ staffs, and freezing congressionally authorized spending, all of which have been challenged in court.
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Garcia reposted Martin’s letter on the social media platform Bluesky and wrote, “So if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter. Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced.”
Garcia spoke more about the letter in a video reposted by the progressive media outlet Meidas Touch. In it, Garcia says, “Obviously, we as members of Congress should have the right to oppose an administration that we disagree with… The fact that the Trump department’s DOJ now wants to silence members of Congress because we actually are willing to take on Elon Musk is quite dangerous, and I think that’s something that we’re really, really concerned about.”
“The Department of Justice now has essentially said that we cannot use metaphors, that we cannot use figures of speech, that we cannot talk about actually fighting the policies of the Trump administration, and if we do so, we’re going to face prosecution,” he continued. “So incredibly disturbing, but we’re not going to be silenced. We’ve got to push back. This is a moment for us to, I think, be really tough and aggressive.”
Garcia: The fact that the Trump DOJ now wants to silence members of Congress because we’re actually willing to take on Elon Musk is quite dangerous. It’s incredibly disturbing. But we’re not going to be silenced. We’ve got to push back.
— Acyn (@acyn.bsky.social) February 20, 2025 at 5:59 PM
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Martin’s letter followed the filing of a resolution of censure against Garcia by anti-LGBTQ+ Rep. Nancy Mace (R-NC) for the same alleged “threat.”
Mace, who has shouted anti-trans slurs and threatened to fight a Democratic colleague during congressional hearings, wrote, “Garcia’s call for ‘actual weapons’ against Elon Musk is dangerous and deranged. This isn’t a heat of the moment situation. This was intentional. His words are the lowest form of political thuggery.”
Her resolution stated, “Violence, threats of violence, or attempts to incite violence against Federal employees should not be tolerated in the House of Representatives.”
In response, Garcia accused Mace of being “big mad” and wrote of her resolution, “These stunts are not going to silence me,” adding, “The hypocrisy is INSANE.”
Earlier this year, Trump pardoned hundreds of people convicted for attacking police, trespassing, and disrupting a government proceeding during the January 6, 2021, riots at the U.S. Capitol. Before the riots, Trump lied and said the 2020 election had been “stolen” from him and that his supporters should “fight like hell” or else “you’re not going to have a country anymore.”
Five people died during the insurrection, and the rioters injured roughly 140 Capitol police officers who were defending government employees and elected officials inside the building. The injuries included a broken spine, a lost eye, lost fingers, brain damage, and multiple cases of PTSD. While ransacking the Capitol, the rioters shattered windows while trying to access congressional chambers, smeared feces in the hallway, and stole computer equipment, potentially constituting a national security breach.
Trump has referred to the rioters as “patriots” and told them “We love you” after the riot occurred. Mace said she supports Trump’s pardons.
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