Elon Musk faces backlash over failed attempt to discredit former CNN Legal Analyst Norm Eisen
Elon Musk's attempt to smear ex-CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen backfires, sparking widespread criticism. Find out what happened and why it matters.
Tech billionaire Elon Musk is facing backlash after falsely accusing prominent lawyer and former CNN legal analyst Norm Eisen of running a “crime family.” The accusation stemmed from a social media post that wrongly claimed a woman named Tamar Eisen, an employee of the National Democratic Institute (NDI), was Eisen’s daughter. However, the two are not related, making Musk’s claim entirely unfounded.
The misinformation spread quickly after Musk amplified the original post on X, which suggested that Eisen’s so-called “crime family” was involved in lawsuits against the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and its drastic cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
How the false accusation started
The false claim originated from MAGA influencer Mila Joy, who shared an exaggerated post on X, alleging that Tamar Eisen had been working at a "shady" nonprofit that received millions from USAID. She implied that this was a direct conflict of interest, linking it to Eisen's legal actions against the Trump administration.
Musk then quoted the post, simply adding: "The Eisen crime family." However, investigations quickly revealed that Tamar Eisen is in no way related to Norm Eisen, making the entire accusation completely inaccurate.
The rapid spread of misinformation prompted swift fact-checking by journalists and political analysts. MSNBC reporter Sam Stein was among those who exposed Musk’s false claim, stating: "Kinda insane. @elonmusk has accused Norm Eisen of leading a ‘crime family’ because his daughter, Tamar, works for the NDI, which took millions of USAID money. Except… Eisen’s rep confirms that this is a different Tamar Eisen. 'That's not Norm’s daughter.'"
Norm Eisen’s role in lawsuits against Trump’s Administration
Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics expert and founder of the State Democracy Defenders Fund, has been actively involved in litigation against the Trump administration and Musk’s DOGE initiative, which has been systematically dismantling USAID and other federal agencies.
In a recent interview with The New Republic, Eisen stated:
"Every time Trump and Musk flood the zone, we do two cases. It’s called rule of law shock and awe."
His involvement in legal battles against DOGE appears to have made him a target of Musk’s disinformation campaign.
Musk’s history of spreading misinformation
This is not the first time Musk has been caught in a case of mistaken identity. Earlier this week, Musk’s Building America’s Future group ran an ad attacking a liberal Supreme Court candidate in Wisconsin. The problem? The ad mistakenly featured an image of a completely different Susan Crawford—a Harvard Law School professor, rather than the actual candidate.
Such incidents have raised concerns over Musk’s reckless use of his platform to spread false information and his growing influence over Trump’s administration, particularly in its aggressive stance toward government agencies and international aid programs.