Officials, including Trump's appointee to head the FBI, Kash Patel, are challenging the billionaire's authority over the federal workforce.

Among the first to advise against responding was Kash Patel, who was just sworn in as FBI director at the end of last week. By Sunday, a flurry of other

Trump claimed Monday that any agencies saying not to respond to the email were doing it "in a friendly manner."

Patel, who hosted the podcast Kash’s Corner, has called Musk a monopolist, claimed he mass-harvested data and accused him of making his fortune from federal contracts funded by taxpayer dollars, according to Rolling Stone.

Kash Patel, the director of the FBI, has pushed back against Elon Musk on his second day in office by telling staff not to respond to an email demanding they list what they accomplished last week.

WASHINGTON, DC – Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and FBI Director Kash Patel have ordered intelligence community officers to ignore Elon Musk’s email demanding they list five things they accomplished last week or risk termination.