Elon Musk's team and Twitter management both took to the media Thursday to plead their cases in an ongoing argument over fake accounts, bots and spam that might scuttle Musk's deal to acquire the social media platform. Driving the news: Sources close to Musk told the Washington Post Musk's team has "concluded that Twitter's figures on spam accounts are not verifiable" and that the deal is "in serious jeopardy." The big picture: Many observers view Musk's complaint about account metrics as an excuse for him to exit a $44 billion deal that has become far less financially attractive since its terms were set in April. Between the lines: Musk has already signed the deal, so if he backs out, today's media fight will set the table for an epic legal fight. Musk's case: Musk has tweeted that fake accounts could represent 20% of Twitter users, though he has never detailed his methodology or backed up the claim with evidence.