Washington DC – The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently opened an investigation into the liberal advocacy group Media Matters over allegations that it sought to damage Elon Musk‘s X platform.
According to the New York Times, the agency sent a letter to the watchdog organization notifying them of the investigation into whether they illegally colluded with other groups to bring harm to X’s relationship with advertisers.
The FTC demanded that the organization hand over copies of its budgets, related documents, communications with other watchdog groups, and files from ongoing legal cases.
The allegations stem from a 2023 Media Matters report that showed ads on X running next to pro-Nazi content, which resulted in a massive advertiser boycott of the platform.
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Musk quickly filed a defamation lawsuit, and the organization also filed a countersuit, both of which are still in litigation.
Now, Musk is serving as a top advisor to President Donald Trump and has used the role to go after regulators and liberal groups.
In a statement, Media Matters President Angelo Carusone argued the Trump administration “has been defined by naming right-wing media figures to key posts and abusing the power of the federal government to bully political opponents and silence critics.”
“It’s clear that’s exactly what’s happening here, given Media Matters’ history of holding those same figures to account,” Carusone added. “These threats won’t work; we remain steadfast to our mission.”
