DOJ Refuses to Aid French Probe Into Musk's X

The US Justice Department has declined to assist a French judicial investigation into Elon Musk's social media platform X, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The refusal marks a pointed break from routine law enforcement cooperation between Washington and Paris, two close allies that typically share investigative resources under mutual legal assistance treaty frameworks. France's probe into X centers on the platform's compliance with French and EU content moderation laws, an area where regulators have repeatedly clashed with Musk over the removal of harmful and illegal material. The DOJ's decision to withhold cooperation effectively shields X from a key source of potential evidence or testimony that French prosecutors could have used to advance their case. The move is likely to sharpen friction between US and European regulators over digital platform enforcement, and raises questions about whether the current administration will selectively limit transatlantic legal assistance in cases touching politically connected companies. Observers will watch whether the EU escalates its own parallel Digital Services Act proceedings against X in response.