European Commission has distanced itself from a threatening letter to Elon Musk sent by internal market commissioner Thierry Breton, which demanded that the world's richest man censor his interview with former president Donald Trump on X, Monday.
The Commission on Tuesday, denied that Breton had approval from its president Ursula von der Leyen to send the letter. “The timing and the wording of the letter were neither co-ordinated or agreed with the president nor with the [commissioners],” it said.
“Thierry has his own mind and way of working and thinking,” according to unnamed EU official. Breton reportedly said that the letter had been planned for some time and that the interview, hailed by Musk as “unprecedented," seemed an appropriate “trigger point” for sending the letter. The French commissioner apparently empowered to oversee enforcement of the Digital Services Act(DSA) and can communicate independently with companies.
The commission has been investigating X, since last year, over bogus claims of non-compliance with the DSA which passed in 2022 -- an investigation criticized by legal experts and activists, as a witch hunt against Musk for the platform's moderation policy which allows for more free speech.