Musk Claims WSJ Report Of FBI Investigating Tesla’s Figures Is “Utterly False”

Shortly after Tesla confirmed that it had received a subpoena from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) about Model 3 production forecasts, chief executive Elon Musk has slammed news about the matter as being false.

Last week, The Wall Street Journal reported that the FBI is reviewing Model 3 production numbers as part of an ongoing criminal probe into whether the company misled investors. Citing unnamed sources, the publication asserted that federal agents were reviewing Tesla’s stated Model 3 production numbers dating back to early 2017.

Despite Tesla admitting that it has provided information to the Department of Justice regarding Musk’s public statements about Model 3 production, he denied The Wall Street Journal’s assertions.

“The amount of untruthful stuff that is written is unbelievable,” Musk told Recode during an interview.

“Take that Wall Street Journal front-page article about, like, ‘The FBI is closing in.’ That is utterly false. That’s absurd. To print such a falsehood on the front page of a major newspaper is outrageous. Like, why are they even journalists? They’re terrible. Terrible people,” he said.

Musk’s denial appears solely related to claims that the FBI is involved. While Tesla says the Department of Justice is conducting investigations, it has failed to comment on reports about the agency’s alleged involvement.

According to Tesla, none of the government agencies conducting investigations have concluded that any wrongdoing occurred.

When Tesla launched the Model 3 in 2017, it said it would be building 5,000 units per week by late Q1 2018. The company soon revised that target to the end of Q2, ultimately achieving its goal in the final week of June.