Monterey Times

Rep. Jimmy Panetta, a U.S. Congressman representing California's 19th district, has raised concerns regarding the access granted to Elon Musk by the current administration to certain information within the Department of Treasury. In a series of tweets posted on February 3, 2025, Panetta expressed his apprehensions and outlined his intentions for oversight and accountability.

In his first tweet, Rep. Panetta stated that "This Administration has offered Elon Musk access to that information that is within the Department of Treasury without providing any reason or transparency on why Elon Musk was given access, how this data will be protected, or what guardrails, if any, are in place." He highlighted a lack of clarity regarding the rationale behind granting such access and emphasized concerns about data protection and regulatory measures.

Following up with another tweet on the same day, Panetta announced plans for "Launching Oversight Investigations: We will push for hearings and investigations into how and why Musk was given access—and ensure taxpayer data isn’t exploited." This indicates his commitment to pursuing legislative inquiries into the matter to safeguard taxpayer information.

In a subsequent tweet posted concurrently, Rep. Panetta called for "Demanding Accountability: We’re pushing for strong protections in the government funding bill to stop any misuse of taxpayer dollars." His statement underscores efforts to implement protective measures within government funding legislation aimed at preventing potential misappropriation of public funds.