Elon Musk Issues Warning to Journalist Kara Swisher After She Suggests He Could Wind Up in Prison: 'Live by the Sword, Die by the Sword'

Elon Musk sparked widespread controversy on Wednesday, October 21, by issuing an ominous warning to veteran tech journalist and CNN contributor Kara Swisher,

“Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sounds like Swisher really wants to go to prison,” he wrote after her comments that Musk could face federal investigations and a political reckoning if Democrats win back control of Congress.

During a discussion on The Bulwark alongside Catherine Rampell, Swisher suggested that Musk faces a "very big sense of fate" and that federal scrutiny would catch up to him if political power shifts in Washington.

She noted that under a different administration or a Democratic-led Congress, various questions and investigations surrounding his companies and political footprint could be reopened.

“But Elon Musk is right up there for that. And so they're going to look at what he's done,” she said, adding that the 55-year-old Musk anticipates future consequences for his actions. “He has a very big sense of fate, and I think it's coming for him and real hard."

Swisher noted that Musk stands to benefit if the Republicans fare better during the midterms, keeping President Donald Trump in a stronger position of control.

“He's under investigation by the Democrats, and if Trump wins, he's out. He gets a get-out-of-jail-free card,” Swisher said.

She noted Musk’s work with the failed Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), saying, “He got DOGE. He got all this access. He got all these contracts. In fact, it was a big payday for him."

She explained that Musk has many incentives to keep Trump in power.

“He's got to keep Donald Trump in some level of power. It's existential for him,” she said. “An emboldened Congress is going to start investigating him again.”

“There were all these agencies, some of which he put a knife in and killed in the DOGE, many of whom were investigating him. He stopped like a half a dozen investigations of his various companies,” Swisher said.

Swisher's prominent media footprint also fuels the friction; she recently launched the “High Stakes” podcast alongside former Hillary Clinton.

Critics on social platforms like X quickly condemned Musk's remarks, accusing the billionaire of trying to intimidate journalists who question his political influence and lack of public accountability.