US DOJ Rejects French Request for Aid in X Investigation

Published
Score
11

Why it matters

The U.S. Justice Department has declined to assist French authorities investigating Elon Musk's social media platform X, according to a letter from the DOJ's Office of International Affairs reported by the Wall Street Journal on April 18, 2026. The refusal comes after French prosecutors and the national cybercrime unit raided X's Paris office earlier this year. French authorities had sought DOJ cooperation in a probe targeting alleged algorithm manipulation to influence public debate, unlawful use of personal data for targeted advertising, and antisemitic and Holocaust-denying content generated by X's AI system Grok. The investigation, which began in January 2025, expanded in November 2025 to include potential crimes against humanity charges.

The investigation has drawn in X's former CEO Linda Yaccarino and approximately 10 other company executives, who have been summoned for interviews. Musk himself faces a voluntary interview summons scheduled for April 20, 2026, though his attendance remains uncertain. The specific grounds cited by the DOJ for refusing cooperation have not been disclosed.

For practitioners, the DOJ's refusal signals potential friction between U.S. and French authorities over tech regulation and content moderation standards. The timing—with Musk's summons arriving days after the DOJ's rebuff—underscores the stakes of cross-border enforcement actions against major platforms. Attorneys representing X or its executives should monitor whether France pursues enforcement unilaterally and whether the DOJ's position reflects broader U.S. policy on First Amendment protections for algorithmic speech and AI-generated content in international contexts.

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