THE DAILY BS: HOW MUCH CAN YOU HANDLE?

SPARE ME THE BS (I’ve got things to do).

• Kara Swisher suggested Elon Musk might already be jailed if Kamala Harris had won the presidency, citing questions surrounding his companies.
• The journalist predicted renewed investigations if Democrats regain Congress, putting Musk at the top of their list.
• Musk answered on X: “Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sounds like Swisher really wants to go to prison.”

LAY IT ON ME (I’ve got time).

Kara Swisher has been looking ahead to a Democratic comeback, and apparently Elon Musk’s accommodations are already on her mind.

“Under Kamala Harris, he might be in jail right now, right?” Swisher said during an appearance on The Bulwark’s Receipts with Catherine Rampell.

Musk has since returned the hospitality. Responding on X to the circulating clip, he wrote: “Live by the sword, die by the sword. Sounds like Swisher really wants to go to prison.”

The exchange gives voters a rather unusual midterm preview: two people discussing who might need a lawyer after Election Day.

Swisher’s interview, published October 19, examined Musk’s Republican spending, his alliance with President Donald Trump and what a Democratic takeover of Congress could mean for his businesses.

“If Donald Trump loses the House and the Senate, I would worry. I’d be worried if I were him,” she said.

That’s certainly one way to promote congressional oversight. Usually, the brochure mentions accountability before moving on to the accommodations.

Swisher argued that Musk’s relationship with Trump had delivered government access and business advantages, while his work through the Department of Government Efficiency had affected agencies investigating his companies. In her telling, protecting that relationship makes continued Republican power a matter of personal survival for Musk.

She also insisted her hypothetical Harris scenario wasn’t about an “avenging fury,” pointing instead to questions about his businesses.

Very reassuring. The imaginary cell comes with an assurance that nobody is being vindictive.

On the prospect of renewed investigations, Swisher asked: “You think he’s not on the list? He’s at the top of that list.”

She went on to predict a hard reckoning, invoking Musk’s sense of fate. The discussion had traveled a fair distance from quarterly earnings.

Swisher is also launching a new chapter in political commentary with Hillary Clinton through their High Stakes podcast. Her appearance with Rampell covered that partnership, Silicon Valley’s political loyalties and her departure from CNN.

Musk, meanwhile, chose to answer the prison speculation with prison speculation of his own. His reply arrived Wednesday, turning an interview about his political calculations into a direct confrontation with one of his most persistent media critics.

DBS WIRE SOURCES (I’ve got all day).

• The Bulwark — Kara Swisher’s October 19 interview with Catherine Rampell
• Twitchy — Swisher’s remarks about Harris and a Democratic congressional takeover
• The Economic Times — Musk’s response and Swisher’s argument about investigations
• Internewscast — Harris jail comment, Swisher’s explanation and the subsequent exchange
• Power Line — Swisher’s comments about Musk topping the investigation list