Armed Guards and Muscle Milk: Senate Investigation Reveals DOGE Takeover Details

"From its inception, Elon Musk's so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) operated as a rogue entity within the US government, slashing staff and funding, gaining access to government systems, and overriding agency decisionmaking-all without oversight from officials who have little understanding of its reach and methods. A new report issued by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) on Thursday adds new insight on how this incursion happened, while raising grave concerns about the possibility of a catastrophic data breach that would affect all Americans and serious questions about who DOGE operatives answer to."

"Oversight staff detail how DOGE gained control over federal agencies, focusing their probe on three of DOGE's primary targets: the General Services Administration (GSA), the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and the Social Security Administration (SSA). "A clear pattern emerged across agencies-officials who questioned DOGE were pushed out, and DOGE-affiliated personnel were installed in key positions such as Chief Information Officer," the report finds. "The DOGE associates were then able to grant approval to other DOGE employees to work with sensitive data without restrictions.""

"Throughout the report, committee investigators describe DOGE representatives as working clandestinely within the agencies they were sent to serve and in spaces kept under armed guard, seemingly not beholden to government officials. "At one point, GSA officials said they did not have the key to open a locked room that had windows covered with black paper, trash bags, and tape," the report says, describing HSGAC staffers' attempts to inspect the agency's offices."

DOGE operated as a rogue entity within the US government, cutting staff and funding, accessing government systems, and overriding agency decisionmaking without proper oversight. DOGE gained control inside multiple agencies, including the GSA, OPM, and SSA, installing affiliates in senior positions and pushing out officials who questioned its actions. DOGE personnel granted colleagues approval to access sensitive data without restrictions. DOGE representatives worked clandestinely in secured spaces under armed guard, and agency staff lacked access to locked rooms whose windows were covered. Federal officials obstructed investigative efforts and frequently denied DOGE's existence, heightening breach concerns.

Read at WIRED