Lawmaker Gets 'Serious' Letter from Trump Justice Department After Calling Elon Musk a 'Dick': 'I Will Not Be Silenced'

A California lawmaker received a "serious" letter from the Trump administration's Department of Justice earlier this week after calling billionaire Elon Musk a "dick" on television.

Rep. Robert Garcia defended his comment, made during a CNN interview on Feb. 12, by declaring Musk is "harming the American public in an enormous way."

"What I think is really important, and what the American public want, is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight," Garcia stated. "This is an actual fight for democracy, for the future of this country."

On Thursday, Garcia took to X to share the letter he received from the DOJ, which labeled his comment as "a threat."

"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," Garcia wrote.

"I will not be silenced," he added.

The letter, signed by Interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Edward R. Martin, Jr., prompted Garcia to "clarify" his comment, which he wrote "sounds to some like a threat to Mr. Musk - an appointed representative of President Donald Trump who you called a 'dick' - and government staff who work for him. Their concerns have led to this inquiry."

Martin added that the department "takes threats against public officials very seriously," and asked Garcia to reply by Feb. 24.

Many social media users found the letter to be a waste of resources and hypocritical of the Trump administration.

"Wonder if he chastised Trump for this..." an X user wrote, with a screenshot of a Truth Social post in which President Donald Trump stated Sen. Mitch McConnell "has a DEATH WISH."

"They can dish it but they can't take it. Trump's billionaire-backed lawyers don't want free speech. They just want control. Evil people," another social media user posted.

"Pam Bondi said that she wouldn't weaponize the DOJ. Elon Musk and Donald Trump want to turn this country into fascist state. We can't let them," a third added.

Concurrently, a handful of users called for Garcia's arrest.

"Here's your Threat against @elonmusk in case you forgot. You should be arrested and prosecuted immediately!" X user @richirich1968 declared.

"What did you mean about bringing actual weapons if not a threat of violence?" another X user prompted.

Politicians and citizens alike have been pushing back at Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which has laid off thousands of federal workers, terminated federal contracts and made sweeping budgets cuts at mission-critical agencies, including the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Earlier this week, President Donald Trump denied Musk had any formal authority, despite overseeing DOGE. Days later, the two held a joint interview on Fox News, leading viewers wondering why it wasn't Vice President J.D. Vance next to the president.