US House Democrats push security probe into Elon Musk’s DOGE team

The lawmakers allege that unauthorized individuals may have accessed systems and classified data at USAID and OPM, as well as US payment systems containing personal data of millions of Americans.

Concerns over unauthorised system access

“We are deeply concerned that unauthorised system access could be occurring across the federal government and could pose a major threat to the personal privacy of all Americans and to the national security of our nation,” the lawmakers wrote in the letter.

They continued, “Although Elon Musk appears to have been granted the status of ‘Special Government Employee’, there is no evidence that he, or any of his associates working under the ‘DOGE team’ moniker are entitled to access our government systems, nor is there any evidence that they have undergone the proper vetting to ensure the security of taxpayer and government data.”

Musk did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, a White House official told Reuters on Wednesday that Musk and his engineers have the appropriate security clearances to view payment data, but they do not have the ability to alter it.

The official added that Musk and his team are operating in “full compliance with federal law, appropriate security clearances, and as employees of the relevant agencies, not as outside advisors or entities,” reported Reuters.

Earlier, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt clarified that Musk is considered a “special government employee.” While she could not provide specific details about his security clearance, Leavitt confirmed that Musk has complied with all applicable federal laws.

(With inputs from Reuters)