Elon Musk Accuses Steve Bannon of Laundering Money for “Evil People” in Scathing Attack
Tech billionaire Elon Musk has publicly accused former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon of money laundering, claiming the right-wing media figure moved funds for “evil people.” The explosive allegation, made on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on February 8, 2026, appears to link Bannon’s past business dealings in the video game industry to the financial network of disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The controversy erupted after Musk responded to a thread discussing the recently released tranche of Jeffrey Epstein documents. In his post, Musk wrote, “Bannon was laundering money for evil people,” specifically referencing Bannon’s tenure as the CEO of Internet Gaming Entertainment (IGE) in the mid-2000s. IGE was a company known for “gold farming”—the practice of selling virtual currency used in popular online games like World of Warcraft for real-world cash.
Musk’s comment amplified a circulating theory that Epstein may have utilized virtual currencies to move illicit funds without detection. “Epstein used World of Warcraft gold to move money without getting traced,” the thread discussed by Musk alleged. “Back in 2007, Bannon was ‘coincidentally’ running a Chinese company that sold in-game gold for real cash. After a few trades, good luck tracking where the money came from.”
While Bannon has not been criminally charged with money laundering in connection to Epstein, the accusation comes at a time of renewed scrutiny over his relationship with the late sex offender. Documents released earlier this month revealed that Bannon and Epstein exchanged hundreds of text messages and that Bannon had conducted a never-broadcast, two-hour interview with Epstein in 2019. In the footage, the two men reportedly discussed reputation management and economics, with Bannon appearing fascinated by Epstein’s lifestyle.
This new allegation adds to a growing list of legal and reputational challenges for Bannon. In February 2025, Bannon pleaded guilty to state charges in New York related to the “We Build the Wall” campaign. In that case, prosecutors accused him of scheming to defraud donors who contributed to a private border wall construction effort. Although he avoided additional jail time for that specific plea, the conviction—along with a previous four-month prison sentence for contempt of Congress—has kept him in the legal spotlight.
Observers note that Musk’s attack signals a deepening fracture within certain circles of the right-wing populist movement. Bannon, who maintains a loyal following through his War Room podcast, has occasionally clashed with tech oligarchs, while Musk has increasingly positioned himself as a central figure in political discourse.
As of Sunday afternoon, Bannon has not issued a formal legal response to Musk’s specific money laundering claim, though his supporters have dismissed the allegation as a conspiracy theory. The resurfacing of Bannon’s history with IGE, combined with the radioactive association with Epstein, threatens to open a new front in the scrutiny of his financial history.
* wincalendar.com
* wikipedia.org
* thenewcivilrightsmovement.com
* pbs.org
