Last month, Donald Trump’s campaign engaged with Elon Musk’s platform, X, regarding the circulation of hacked campaign materials before X blocked links to the content and banned the independent journalist who published it. The engagement was confirmed by a source familiar with the situation.
The hacked materials, published by journalist Ken Klippenstein, reportedly stemmed from an Iranian-backed hacking operation. The dossier included internal communications from a senior Trump campaign official, as well as campaign hacked materials on Senator JD Vance, who had been selected as Trump’s running mate. Notably, the leaked documents also exposed personal information, such as Vance’s home address and part of his social security number.
Klippenstein’s publication on Substack, which included the leaked information, was linked on his X account. Shortly after, his X account was suspended for allegedly violating the platform’s rules on sharing private information. Although an X spokesperson initially described the suspension as temporary, Klippenstein later revealed he had been permanently banned from the platform.
According to the source, the Trump campaign’s conversation with X officials about the hacked content occurred before Klippenstein’s ban and the subsequent blocking of links to his Substack newsletter. The source also claimed the campaign did not specifically request the removal of these links, suggesting X made the decision independently. A spokesperson for X did not provide further comment.
The New York Times reported this engagement between Trump’s campaign and X as part of a broader narrative on Musk’s efforts to support Trump’s reelection campaign. While Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, blocked users from sharing the same content, they allowed Klippenstein’s accounts to remain active. A Meta spokesperson said their policies do not permit the sharing of content obtained through hacking or foreign operations intended to influence U.S. elections.
The dossier wasn’t exclusive to Klippenstein. Several news outlets, including Politico, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, reported receiving offers of similar hacked materials but chose not to publish them, recognizing them as likely obtained through illegal means.
X’s decision to block the links to Klippenstein’s newsletter has drawn attention due to Musk’s earlier statements on fostering a “free, digital public square.” His actions contrast with previous controversies where he criticized Twitter’s decision to suppress a 2020 New York Post article about Hunter Biden. Musk had released what he termed the “Twitter Files,” alleging government pressure on the platform to censor the Hunter Biden story, a claim later refuted by legal statements from Twitter.
Musk’s support for Trump extends beyond his platform. As reported, Musk has used X to promote Trump’s candidacy to over 200 million followers. He has also contributed significant funding to a pro-Trump super PAC. Recently, Musk appeared alongside Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, highlighting his open backing of the former president, raising questions about his platform’s neutrality.
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