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The Trump administration has not been in a month, but billionaire Elon Musk has already brought in dozens of staff to help him change the face of the US government. Propublica has learned the names of nine additional employees related to Musk’s government overhaul and a news organization released last week added to the tracker.
Additional names include a sudden widespread range of masks across the government as these individuals moved to a wide range of powerful posts, from chief information officers who decide to buy governments to veteran lawyers who support the efforts. It helps to clarify influence across the board.
Propublica has confirmed the names and roles of staff members of more than 30 Musks who are helping the world’s wealthiest man to demolish or reduce federal agencies one by one. I’ve received hundreds of tips from readers. Many have helped identify people who support masks that are not elected to the office.
Elon Musk’s demolition crew
Musk and his eu are restructuring the government and its mission with the blessing of President Donald Trump. The White House said Musk’s military is acting within the scope of the law, but Propoblica reporting and legal scholars are calling the government efficiency, or Doji, to the newly formed office. He said he is questioning the legality of some efforts.
“People voted for a massive government reform, and that’s what people are trying to get,” Musk said at a White House press conference on Tuesday.
Propublica has identified two groups of people associated with Musk. One group includes a group with previous connections to his business. Other groups include those who have no obvious prior connections with Musk, but have become part of his Doge team, including many who work for the President’s Executive Office.
Among the staff we identified are Jennifer Balajadia, who works as an operation coordinator at Musk’s The Bowling Company and currently plays an official role in Doge in the President’s Executive Office. Nicole Hollander, who was employed at Musk Company X, handled the property and now works at General Services Administration. Former SpaceX network security engineer Ryan Riedel currently lists himself as the Department of Energy’s Chief Information Officer. Neither they nor their agency responded to requests for comment.
One of the frequently asked questions is how Doge is organized. Propublica has learned that core members of the group use emails tied to the White House. Other members are housed in certain institutions with vague job titles, such as “experts” and “senior advisors.” Also, in some instances, Doge members are assigned email addresses at many institutions at the same time.
Our story helped to demonstrate the scope and expertise of those who work as part of Mask’s fledgling efforts. We laid out Doge’s role in defeating the US international development institutions. We investigated the team’s interest in a sensitive financial database that tracks the flow of money across governments. There is a detailed involvement in the $900 million cancellation of Doge’s educational research contract. And we have revealed the names of elite lawyers working for the Doge team and their relationship with Supreme Court judges.
If you work in a government agency and have experience with the Doge team, we look forward to hearing from you.
Do you work for the federal government? Propublica wants to hear from you.
It doubles coverage of government agencies and federal government policies. With your help, we can dig deeper.
