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An FBI whistleblower has made a shocking claim that Elon Musk was being heavily targeted by Russia.
The former FBI agent, Johnathan Buma, claimed that he had tried to warn Musk about the situation back in 2022 after he believed the billionaire was being targeted by a Russian campaign.
He described his role within the FBI as specializing in public corruption and Russian foreign counterintelligence operations, so much so that the bureau trained him to speak and read Russian.
According to Buma, this campaign from Russia was seeking to gain sensitive information from Musk’s inner circle.
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However, the former agent was arrested by the FBI earlier this year and charged with a misdemeanor of disclosing confidential information.
Now, Buma is currently out on bail but stands by his claims that Russia was targeting the world’s richest man.
Speaking to the Guardian, he said: “Those efforts were intense and they were ongoing. I can’t go into too much more detail.”
In 2022, Buma started to blow the whistle, reporting what he called ‘highly suspicious suppression of investigations and intelligence gathering’ from Russian intelligence.
Buma wasn’t the only person to be concerned about who was gaining access to Musk, according to reports by the Wall Street Journal.
Buma claimed in his interview with the Guardian that he attempted to raise the alarm with another agent who he said was unresponsive.
As a result of his whistleblowing, Buma was arrested on March 17, 2025.
In a statement by the US Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, it read: “A former FBI Special Agent previously assigned to the Orange County Resident Agency in California was arrested based on probable cause and a subsequent criminal complaint charging him with one count of Disclosure of Confidential Information.
“Johnathan Buma was charged in the Central District of California. According to the criminal complaint, on or about October 27, 2023, Buma accessed the FBI’s internal network and printed files, text-file documents containing information from FBI confidential human sources (CHS) reports, and screenshots of messages exchanged with FBI CHSs.
“On or about November 2, 2023, Buma caused information to be shared with a publishing company that was subject to restrictions against dissemination and that he became aware of in his capacity as an FBI Special Agent. The investigation is being conducted by the OIG’s Los Angeles Office and the FBI, with operational assistance provided by the OIG’s New York Office and forensic assistance provided by the OIG’s Cyber Investigations Office.”
