Tech mogul, billionaire, and Trump adviser Elon Musk shared a tweet claiming that Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong did not murder millions of people.
The post reads, "Stalin, Mao, and Hitler didn't murder millions of people. Their public sector employees did."
The comments come against the backdrop of Musk's struggle in the public sector and his attempts to reduce the number of civil servants and waste in the American government.
However, he was condemned by many for appearing to downplay the atrocities of three of the worst mass murderers in human history.
The person who posted the original tweet later added another post elaborating on it, stating, "After the Nuremberg trials, the so-called 'superior orders' defense – 'I was just following orders' – is considered invalid under international law. Individual rather than collective responsibility for your actions is enshrined in law."
Musk was accused of making a Nazi salute during the inauguration of US President Donald Trump in January. The gesture involved Musk pounding his chest and shooting his right arm in an angular motion toward the sky. He then turned his back to the audience and repeated the gesture towards the back of the stage.
At the time, the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) defended Musk and stated, "It seems that [Musk] made an awkward gesture in a moment of enthusiasm, not a Nazi salute,” and argued people on both sides of the aisle should not jump to conclusions.