Sen. Chuck Grassley released an internal FBI email Tuesday that shows a then-special agent pushing for a criminal investigation into Elon Musk over the billionaire’s request that federal employees list five accomplishments from their workweek, according to records the Iowa Republican made public.
The email, which Grassley posted on X, was sent by then-Special Agent Kevin Gounaud, who argued that Musk had run afoul of information security policies and had profited from the email by promoting it on his social media platform. Grassley released the document ahead of a scheduled Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with FBI Director Kash Patel.
What the email said
In the message, Gounaud wrote, “I would like to recommend the opening of a criminal 58 matter,” according to the text shared by the Senate Judiciary Republicans’ account on X. The phrasing refers to an FBI classification code.
Grassley pointed to the email as evidence of what he described as a disconnect between Washington and everyday Americans. “Here is an email I released 2day showing an FBI agent who was ready2 open a CRIMINAL CASE all bc Elon Musk asked govt bureaucrats 2 report 5 things they did in a wk,” Grassley wrote. He added: “Compare that 2 Iowans who work frm sunup to sundown EVERY DAY. Washington rlly is an island surrounded by reality.”
The senator has not indicated whether the matter progressed beyond the recommendation stage, and the released email does not show whether FBI leadership acted on Gounaud’s request.
Background on the ‘five things’ email
The controversy traces back to last year, when Musk, through the Department of Government Efficiency, sent a mass email to federal workers with the subject line “What did you do last week?” The message asked employees to reply with five things they had accomplished during the week.
The request drew sharp backlash from federal employee unions, agency officials, and Democratic lawmakers, who characterized it as an attempt to pressure the civil service and warned that noncompliance could be used as a pretext for dismissals. Musk and the Office of Personnel Management later clarified that responding was voluntary and that failing to reply would not trigger termination.
DOGE, which President Trump established at the start of his second term, was tasked with identifying what the administration described as waste, fraud, and abuse across federal agencies. The productivity email became one of its most widely recognized initiatives, generating both support from those who saw it as basic accountability and criticism from those who viewed it as an unnecessary burden on the workforce.
Political context
Grassley’s release lands as the Senate Judiciary Committee prepares to question Patel, whom Trump nominated to lead the FBI. Patel’s confirmation process has been closely watched, and the email gives Republicans on the panel a fresh line of questioning about how the bureau handles referrals involving high-profile political figures.
The document also underscores the broader debate over whether federal law enforcement has been drawn into partisan disputes. Republicans have argued that agencies under previous administrations pursued politically motivated investigations; Democrats have raised similar concerns about the current FBI leadership. Gounaud’s email offers a concrete example that both sides may cite as they press Patel on the bureau’s internal decision-making.
An FBI spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The agency has not publicly confirmed whether any investigation into Musk was opened or closed. Musk, for his part, has not addressed the released email directly, though he has repeatedly defended DOGE’s work as necessary to rein in federal spending and improve government efficiency.
Grassley has released a series of records in recent weeks that he says shed light on internal government deliberations, part of an ongoing effort by the senator to highlight what he describes as bureaucratic overreach. The Iowa Republican, who has served in the Senate since 1981, has long positioned himself as a watchdog over federal agencies.
Whether the email becomes a flashpoint during Patel’s hearing remains to be seen. But its release ensures the DOGE productivity email — and the backlash it generated inside and outside government — will remain part of the conversation as the FBI’s new leadership takes shape.
Source: www.thegatewaypundit.com — https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/fbi-agent-pushed-criminally-investigate-elon-musk-asking/