Elon Musk said he would bring back a Department of Government Efficiency staffer who resigned following a Wall Street Journal report linking the 25-year-old to past controversial social media posts. The posts reportedly advocated racism and eugenics.
Musk, who leads DOGE, posted on X, "He will be brought back. To err is human, to forgive divine."
Musk was responding to a post from Vice President JD Vance, who said, "We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people."
He added that the staffer should be brought back and only fired if he's a "bad dude or a terrible member of the team."
Earlier in the day, Musk asked his millions of X followers whether the man should be reinstated. Approximately 80% of participants favored bringing the staffer back.
RELATED STORY | A DOGE employee is now working at the Department of Energy
The Department of Government Efficiency, while not classified as a federal agency, operates as a task force focused on eliminating waste within the federal government. This week, DOGE employees have been engaged in comprehensive reviews of multiple federal agencies, including the Treasury Department, the Department of Education and the United States Agency for International Development.
The actions of DOGE have sparked concerns on Capitol Hill regarding potential national security risks associated with the agency. In response, Senate Democrats are demanding answers from President Donald Trump and his chief of staff, Susie Wiles. They have accused DOGE of engaging in "illegal actions" and expressed alarm over reports that DOGE employees accessed classified materials, particularly at USAID, as well as sensitive payment systems related to Social Security and Medicare and federal personnel data from the Office of Personnel Management.
Despite the allegations, a spokesperson for DOGE has stated that no personnel are currently accessing classified materials without the necessary security clearance.
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