In a surprising turn of events, President Donald Trump vehemently denies that Tesla CEO Elon Musk holds any authority over the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Trump has explicitly stated that there is no evidence to support the claim that Musk is in charge of DOGE. However, the White House has acknowledged that Musk serves as Trump’s senior adviser.
The White House clarifies that Musk is not technically a part of DOGE, which was responsible for the mass firing of thousands of federal workers at various agencies, including the IRS, U.S. Treasury, CDC, VA, FDIC, HHS, and others.
Consequently, multiple lawsuits have been filed in response to the “illegal” mass firings.
The news comes as a surprise because Trump campaigned on establishing DOGE, led by Elon Musk, to eliminate government waste.
In December 2024, Trump announced that Elon Musk, collaborating with American Patriot Vivek Ramaswamy, would lead the Department of Government Efficiency.
However, a White House official clarified in a federal court affidavit filed on Tuesday that Elon Musk is not the administrator of the newly formed DOGE.
The filing failed to provide any information about the person overseeing DOGE.
Federal Judge Tanya Chutkan is presiding over a lawsuit that challenges Musk’s authority to fire government workers and have unrestricted access to government systems.
Judge Chutkan expressed concern that DOGE is proceeding in an unpredictable and disorderly manner. This essentially involves a private citizen directing an organization that is not a federal agency to have access to the entire workings of the federal government, including the ability to fire, hire, terminate programs, and contract without apparent congressional oversight.
Critics have raised concerns about the composition of Musk’s team, which includes individuals under the age of 26, some of whom are described as “unvetted nerds and hackers.” These individuals have access to extremely sensitive government systems without any checks and balances.
One of these individuals, Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old cybersecurity expert who goes by the username “Big Balls” on social media, was recently terminated from a cybersecurity company for leaking confidential information.
Coristine had previously worked at Musk’s Neuralink before joining DOGE.
One former FBI agent expressed skepticism about Coristine’s suitability for government work.
