Top national security agencies have defied Elon Musk’s bid to force federal workers to justify their jobs, revealing limits to the tech billionaire’s authority as Trump’s efficiency consultant.
FBI Director Kash Patel’s swift rejection of Musk’s demand sparked a cascade of defiance from national security agencies. “The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes,” Patel told his staff, effectively telling Musk to stay in his lane.
Musk’s ultimatum — which demanded that all federal employees list their weekly accomplishments or be considered resigned — appeared overly simplistic and uninformed, among other things.
Justice Department officials were shocked that “anyone would issue such a blanket demand without consideration for sensitive areas such as criminal investigations, legal confidentiality or grand jury material,” according to the New York Times.
“Our public workforce deserves to be treated with dignity and respect for the unheralded jobs they perform,” Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) wrote on social media.
Read: Multiple Lawsuits Challenge The Constitutionality of Elon Musk’s DOGE Power
“I don’t know how that’s necessarily feasible,” Representative Mike Lawler, who has been supportive of Musk’s so-called government efficiency measures, said. He also noted the complexities of union contracts and federal employment rules.
In a statement, Everett B. Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, says allowing “the unelected and unhinged Elon Musk to dictate O.P.M.’s actions” shows “a lack of regard for the integrity of federal employees and their critical work.” The union condemned his directive as “plainly unlawful” and “thoughtless.”
It’s unclear if any of the Musk-led DOGE’s efficiency measures have so far worked. The initiative’s only public ledger has shown many errors, according to a New York Times report, including a quietly corrected claim that it saved $8 billion in contracts when the amount was only really $8 million.
Read: Digging Deep On DOGE’s “$55B Savings”
Musk has continued to push unfounded claims of fraud to justify his maneuvers to gut government agencies, including those tasked to regulate his many business interests.
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