Exclusive-Probe of Musk's Neuralink to scrutinize long-criticized U.S animal welfare regulator

FILE PHOTO: Elon Musk arrives at the In America: An Anthology of Fashion themed Met Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, New York, U.S., May 2, 2022. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photo

(Reuters) - Law enforcement officials investigating Elon Musk's Neuralink Corp over its animal trial program are also scrutinizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s oversight of the company's operations, after the agency failed to act on violations at other research organizations, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Reuters reported on Dec. 5 that the USDA's watchdog, the Office of the Inspector General, is investigating Neuralink, a medical device company that is developing brain implants, over potential animal-welfare violations. A federal prosecutor in the civil division at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California requested the probe, people familiar with the matter said.