Tech billionaire Elon Musk might not truly be leading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), despite what President Donald Trump and his allies have said in previous weeks, according to new court documents reviewed by Newsweek.
Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email on Monday night for comment.
Why It Matters
DOGE, a nongovernmental task force, is reportedly working to cut wasteful federal spending and has been granted access to “sensitive Treasury data,” including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.
Musk has been working as a “special government employee,” the White House says, and he does not receive a paycheck for his work. Given his reported influence, Democratic lawmakers have accused Musk of mounting a “hostile takeover” of the government, a claim that Musk and the Trump administration deny.
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What To Know
Joshua Fisher, the director of the Office of Administration, wrote a court declaration to share that Musk is “an employee of the White House Office” and “holds a position as a non-career Special Government Employee.”
“Like other senior White House advisors, Mr Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself,” it said.
Fisher’s filing, made in a case brought against Musk by the State of New Mexico, said that Musk was not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service, or the U.S. DOGE Service Temporary Organization and added: “Mr. Musk is not the U.S. DOGE Service Administrator.”
The filing did not state the name of another DOGE administrator.
Fisher compared Musk’s role to that of Anita Dunn, former President Joe Biden‘s senior advisor.
Despite Fisher’s court declaration, President Donald Trump announced soon after he won the November presidential election that Musk, who played a large role in his election campaign since July, and Vivek Ramaswamy would lead his Department of Government Efficiency. Trump made the announcement in a statement.
“Together, these two wonderful Americans will pave the way for my…
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