WASHINGTON (Oct. 20, 2026) — Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that “either the President was lying or Musk was lying” about who ordered a slowdown of Ukraine’s military Starlink access. He called for a full Senate investigation and for Elon Musk to testify before Congress under oath.
What He Said
His full post, published at 4:37 p.m. on Oct. 20, 2026, read:
“Either the President was lying or Musk was lying, but the decision to slow down satellite speed and access has life or death consequences for Ukraine.
This deserves a full investigation by the Senate. Elon Musk should be compelled to testify before Congress and under oath.
National security decisions should be made in our national security interests, and not based on the personal whim of an unstable executive.”
The Report He Linked
Schiff linked an Oct. 20 Wall Street Journal report headlined “Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine.” It said Musk ordered the slowdown of a military-grade Starlink version relied on by Ukraine, citing U.S. officials and people familiar with the matter. It said the move sparked panic in Kyiv and confusion inside the Trump administration.
The report said the slowdown began Oct. 14 and capped the speeds at which Ukrainian hardware could stay connected to the network. That left some offensive and interceptor drones virtually useless. Michael Kofman of the Carnegie Endowment said the limits “continue to hamper Ukrainian strike operations and air defenses.”
Conflicting Accounts
The report said Musk posted on X that any limits were “decided by the US military and ultimately POTUS.” Trump told reporters Monday he did not know who was responsible, “but I would like to find out.” Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said, “We haven’t made any directives or anything like that.”
Some U.S. officials said Musk acted unilaterally. One person familiar said Musk spoke to multiple senior administration officials, including Trump, before the cap. SpaceX representatives also called White House counterparts seeking a unified message, according to the report.
On Oct. 16, Reuters reported that Trump said he did not think either he or Musk was responsible for Ukraine losing access. Reuters also reported that the White House approved the reduction in Starshield services. Trump added that any limit was not imposed by the United States.
The Senate Response
A bipartisan group of nine senators asked the Pentagon’s inspector general to investigate who authorized the restrictions, requesting an initial briefing by Nov. 1. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) separately sent a letter on Oct. 15 seeking a review.
Schiff’s Record on Ukraine
In a Feb. 19, 2025 statement, Schiff said Trump “parrot[ed] Putin’s false talking points and … blame[d] Ukraine for being invaded and brutalized by Russia.” He said that undermined Ukraine’s position in negotiations and “compromised our own national security interests.”
On March 4, 2025, Schiff wrote that “Congress must allow Ukraine to negotiate with Russia from a position of strength, not when it has been knee-capped by the United States.” He said withholding military support had “emboldened Vladimir Putin.”
As a House member in 2022, Schiff said after President Volodymyr Zelensky’s address to Congress that “only Vladimir Putin has the power to end this senseless war.”
In July 2026, Schiff joined Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Darline Graham (R-S.C.) in introducing the Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia Act of 2026, which had more than 60 cosponsors.
Schiff on Musk
In early 2025, Schiff wrote to the Office of Government Ethics about Musk’s conflicts of interest during his DOGE role. He warned that Musk might use the position to “shield his companies from federal scrutiny.” In a later late-night television appearance, Schiff called Musk an “erratic evil, not-so-genius.”