US Justice Department Joins Musk's Fight Against EU Fine
Censorship blocking · 25.09.2026

The Trump administration has decided to personally step in for X: the US Department of Justice filed a motion with the Luxembourg court to join Musk's appeal against the European Commission's €120 million fine. It's gotten to the point where an American federal agency is now suing alongside the billionaire against a European regulator.

A quick recap: last December, the European Commission fined X that exact €120 million — the first-ever fine under the Digital Services Act in the law's entire history. The complaints are specific: the platform violated transparency requirements, failed to sufficiently disclose data, and, in the regulator's view, misled users through the design of its blue checkmark verification system.

US Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General Brett Shumate puts it bluntly: the European Commission is allegedly "inappropriately trying to extend its regulatory reach to American companies that are not present or operating within its jurisdiction." Yet X does operate in the European Union — otherwise it would be odd to fine a company that formally isn't there.

"We will not tolerate the European Commission engaging in regulatory overreach and attempting to control American engines of innovation and economic growth," Shumate adds.

The DSA has generally become the main irritant between Brussels and American tech giants. The Trump administration openly backs the US companies' argument: that the EU is unfairly targeting Americans specifically and encroaching on free speech, in its MAGA-flavored interpretation. Now all that's left is to wait for the court's ruling in Luxembourg.

Source: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/09/trump-administration-takes-musks-side-in-fight-over-eu-tech-rules/