MS NOW presenter Lawrence O'Donnell has predicted that Elon Musk could be called to testify under oath if Democrats gain control of the House of Representatives in the 3 November 2026 midterm elections.

Such testimony would depend on the actions of congressional committees and any applicable legal proceedings; a change in party control would not automatically compel Musk to appear. The prediction centres on the projected consequences of USAID funding cuts, estimates that Musk has disputed.

Why O'Donnell Expects Musk To Testify Under Oath

In a clip shared on X by Marco Foster on 23 October 2026, O'Donnell said Musk 'will have to testify under oath in televised hearings' where he would be shown evidence that, O'Donnell argued, links the closure of USAID to the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people.

The remarks followed a public warning from Musk. Replying on X to a post about a Politico report on Democratic investigation plans, he wrote 'Live by the sword, die by the sword'.

Representative James Walkinshaw answered by asking him to explain to Congress why DOGE failed, and whether he would testify under oath. Politico reported that several committees are weighing how they would pursue Musk if Democrats win the gavels.

What the Projected Usaid Death Toll Actually Says

The most widely cited estimate comes from a 2025 study in The Lancet. Researchers led by Davide Rasella estimated that USAID funding was associated with approximately 91.8 million deaths averted in low- and middle-income countries between 2001 and 2021.

The team compared continued funding at 2023 levels with the announced reductions. They projected that the cuts could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, including more than 4.5 million children under five.

Those figures are projections rather than counted deaths. Representative Ro Khanna has cited the child figure, and Musk vowed to sue him.

Musk has defended the cuts, alleging that USAID funding was being misused. Reason magazine has criticised the Lancet study's methodology, while the journal has also published formal critiques of the research.

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Court Orders and Congressional Pressure

Separately, a federal judge initially ruled that Elon Musk could be questioned under oath in a lawsuit brought by government workers and contractors who accuse him of unlawfully directing USAID's dissolution.

However, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit overturned that order in March 2026, finding that the plaintiffs had not established the exceptional circumstances required to justify the depositions on the record before it. The ruling did not permanently bar Musk's deposition.

Representative Ro Khanna has called for Musk to answer questions under oath about his role in DOGE's activities. Other Democrats have demanded he testify under oath about a report claiming DOGE exaggerated its savings. Hardly a surprise, then, that the idea has support among Democrats well before any votes are counted.

Democrats need at least 218 House seats for a majority, and early voting has been under way for weeks. For now, any hearing where Musk must testify under oath depends on the result, and on a majority Democrats do not yet hold.

Musk is also the largest Republican donor, and Democrats are eyeing SpaceX's federal contracts, so any inquiry could stretch beyond USAID.

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