Elon Musk is accusing a top aide to Donald Trump of being involved in a criminal cover-up, as tensions between the billionaire and the former president’s inner circle continue to boil over.
The feud centers on Sergio Gor, Trump’s director of presidential personnel. In a post on X this week, Musk claimed Gor “deliberately lied about where he was born on Federal forms,” calling it “a serious crime.” Musk later added bluntly, “Gor is breaking the law.”
At the heart of the accusation is the SF-86, a mandatory federal security clearance form required for access to sensitive government positions. The form demands full disclosure of personal background, including citizenship, foreign ties, and overseas travel. Musk alleges that Gor either didn’t file the form truthfully or failed to complete it at all, despite being responsible for vetting thousands of executive branch employees.
The White House pushed back earlier this week, insisting that Gor did in fact submit the SF-86 and holds the necessary clearance. A spokesperson described him as a “trusted adviser to President Trump.”
Musk’s claims surfaced after a series of viral posts by Ukrainian-American race car driver Igor Sushko, who accused Gor of being a “Russian spy.” Sushko referenced a New York Post report that questioned Gor’s birthplace, highlighted a now-retracted investigation by journalist Brian Krebs, and pointed to a high school email archive that allegedly listed Gor as “Russian-Maltese.” He also raised concerns about Gor’s past trip to Russia while working for Senator Rand Paul.
Musk engaged directly with the allegations, amplifying Sushko’s claims and accusing Gor of being part of a broader cover-up to conceal potentially disqualifying background information.
This clash didn’t appear out of nowhere. Sources close to the situation say the Musk-Gor rivalry intensified earlier this year when Trump abruptly pulled the nomination of Jared Isaacman—Musk’s close friend—to lead NASA. The decision came just days before Isaacman’s scheduled Senate confirmation vote. Officially, the withdrawal was attributed to Isaacman’s prior donations to Democrats. But insiders believe Gor influenced the move as payback for earlier tensions with Musk.
The souring relationship between Musk and Trump, once considered political allies, erupted into full view when Musk posted that Trump appeared in documents linked to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The backlash from Trump’s supporters was swift and intense. Musk later deleted the posts and offered a rare public apology, writing, “I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far.”
Despite the apology, Musk has not eased his attacks on Gor. The feud has now shifted from political backroom maneuvering to accusations of federal crimes—placing Gor under the spotlight and deepening the rift between Musk and Trump’s camp. What began as a personal dispute has turned into a very public war, with allegations that reach into the highest levels of government.
