Elon Musk lies with ease. It’s one of the key traits he shares with Donald Trump. Now Musk says he will leave his role in government and return to Tesla. This is also a blatant lie. One does not simply give up the kind of power Musk bought for himself with his quarter-billion-dollar contribution to the Trump election. If anything, Musk’s nefarious meddling with government is only just beginning.

Yet the mainstream press has largely bought this simple narrative. Headlines suggest Musk will depart the Trump administration to return to Tesla, his death-spiraling car company. These stories note that, under law, Musk’s special government employee status expires after 130 days.

Two major issues with this logic:

Musk is Tesla’s main problem. Musk has destroyed Tesla’s brand with his toxic Nazi-saluting MAGA government destruction antics. Tesla once had a “halo” — a reputation as a good company with a moral mission. Thanks to Musk, it now has the equivalent of Hitler Devil Horns. From now on, it will be impossible to buy a Tesla without being seen as an overt supporter of fascism. Saving the brand would require separating Musk from Tesla.

Musk and Trump do not care about the law. The law only permits a special government employee to serve for 130 days, but since when do Musk and Trump care about the law? These people openly break laws, defy courts, and mock the Constitution. Does anyone really believe they will kick Musk out of government because it’s the law? Any journalist who buys that is an even bigger national security threat than the fascists.

Musk isn’t going anywhere. He will still wield tremendous power in our government via his hand-picked cronies, tech fascist allies and the data surveillance systems they are busy unleashing inside of our government.