'Libelous on its face': Internet critics blast Musk's 'disgusting' treason accusation

Tech billionaire and Donald Trump ally Elon Musk took to his X platform on Wednesday evening to make an extreme accusation against Alexander Vindman, the Ukrainian-born Army lieutenant colonel and National Security Council official who, among other things, provided whistleblower testimony against Trump at his impeachment trial for abuse of power, and more recently accused Musk of divulging state secrets to Russia.

"Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States, for which he will pay the appropriate penalty," wrote Musk, who bankrolled much of the voter outreach for the Trump campaign and is now heading up his task force to cut government spending.

This comment prompted an immediate reaction, with reporters and legal analysts blasting Musk's accusation.

Some have pointed out that, under the Constitution, the crime of treason requires the accused to aid a hostile power that is at war with the United States. Neither Ukraine nor Russia meets that essential condition.

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"Treason has a specific definition which could not possibly encompass Vindman," wrote Huffington Post White House correspondent S.V. Daté. "Which makes this statement libelous on its face. (The first assertion is also, if false, potentially libelous.)"

"That Musk is now threatening people with imprisonment and/or execution for non-crimes but rather being a person who he disagrees with should be the end of that pathetic website," wrote Georgia State law professor Anthony Michael Kreis.

"This Kremlin puppet Muskʼs threat to Vindman is infuriating and disgusting," wrote security analyst Olga Lautmann. "He can go to hell and I hope Vindman sues immediately."

"Elon Musk thinks HE won the election and gets to be the autocrat," wrote actor George Takei. "Fascist and delusional to the core."

"We're on the 'threaten to murder your critics' part of the broligarchy," said writer and activist Alejandra Caraballo.