Elon Musk, billionaire and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under the Trump administration, incorrectly alleged that Norm Eisen, a former White House ethics chief and current CNN legal analyst, was the head of a “crime family.” This occurred as Musk spread misinformation regarding a woman named Tamar Eisen, who is not related to Norm Eisen but shares his surname.
The false claim was made on Thursday, February 27, 2025, when Musk shared a post on his platform, X. The post inaccurately identified Tamar Eisen, who works for the nonprofit National Democratic Institute (NDI), as Norm Eisen’s daughter.
The post that Musk shared targeted Norm Eisen, accusing him of spearheading multiple lawsuits to prevent DOGE from slashing funds to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It wrongly suggested that Tamar Eisen, a Program Officer for the NDI’s Gender, Women and Democracy team for nearly three years, was a part of this supposed plot. Musk responded to this post by labeling them as “The Eisen crime family.”
Contrary to Musk’s claim, a source informed The Daily Beast, that the two Eisens are in no way related to each other. This marks another instance of Musk disseminating unchecked information to his extensive follower base on his own platform.
Norm Eisen is the founder of the State Democracy Defenders Fund. He has been instrumental in multiple lawsuits against the Trump administration as DOGE proceeds with its plan to decrease the size of the federal government. Eisen’s organization strives to protect democracy in the U.S. through legal advocacy against attempts to alter election administration and procedures.
“Every time Trump and Musk flood the zone, we do two cases,” Eisen stated recently to The New Republic. “It’s called rule of law shock and awe.”
The State Democracy Defenders Fund is a nonpartisan group guided by a team of experts, including Eisen, who was an ambassador during the Obama administration. The organization’s activities include submitting amicus briefs in election-related court cases and publishing op-eds in various news outlets.
The erroneous claim against Norm Eisen by Musk follows a recent case of mistaken identity involving the business tycoon. Building America’s Future, a political action group funded by Musk, ran a misleading ad targeting Dane County Judge Susan M. Crawford, a liberal candidate in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race.
The ad, in support of conservative candidate Brad Schimel, mistakenly featured an image of Susan P. Crawford, a professor at Harvard Law School, instead of the actual candidate, Susan M. Crawford. A spokesperson for Judge Crawford’s campaign labeled the ad as a complete “fraud”, pointing out that Musk’s group had failed to verify their facts.
As per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the image in the ad is the same one found on Susan P. Crawford’s Wikipedia page. Although Schimel’s campaign was not directly involved in the ad, the error has negatively impacted Crawford’s opposition.
Building America’s Future has committed to spending over $1.5 million on ads opposing Crawford across Wisconsin, in what is anticipated to be one of the most expensive court races in U.S. history. The outcome of the Wisconsin Supreme Court race will determine the ideological balance of the state’s highest court.
Musk’s involvement in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race coincides with his company, Tesla, suing the state of Wisconsin over a law that prevents car manufacturers from owning dealerships within the state.
Musk’s support for the Trump administration, particularly through his role leading DOGE, has drawn criticism as DOGE seeks to significantly cut federal spending. Eisen’s lawsuits are specifically targeting these attempts to cut USAID funding.
Public service unions have joined the State Democracy Defenders Fund to contest what they claim as “unlawful, mass federal firings” resulting from DOGE’s initiatives to reduce the size of the federal government.
These two instances of mistaken identity highlight the increasing concerns over the spread of misinformation by influential figures with extensive social media reach. In both cases, Musk has either promoted or funded content containing false information about individuals who oppose his political allies or business interests.
As of Friday, March 6, Musk had not rectified his false claim about Norm and Tamar Eisen. The post dubbing them a “crime family” remained accessible to his over 190 million followers on his X platform.