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What happened: Three Democrat senators have asked the Department of Justice and other federal authorities to investigate whether government efficiency members, which help reduce federal agencies, violated the Conflict of Interest Act by holding stakes in companies regulated by agencies.
A letter sent Wednesday by Senators Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Jack Reed reported on how such a lieutenant assigned to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau helped him hold $715,000 in shares prohibited by department employees, while overseeing a massive layoff of agency staff.
What they said: The Doge Aides case “emphasizes what appears to be prevalent in Elon Musk and Doge employees trampling on ethical rules and laws to benefit their pockets at the expense of the American people,” the lawmaker said in the letter.
Warren and Reed sit on the Senate committee on banking, housing and urban issues. Wyden is a ranking member of the Chamber of Commerce’s Finance Committee.
The letter asked Attorney General PAM Bondi, the Government Ethics Bureau, and three inspector generals, who are in charge of the CFPB, the Treasury Department and the IRS, to investigate the finances of Doge Aides. “The American people deserve an answer as to whether their interests have been eroded by Trump administration officials who acted in violation of federal ethics laws,” the letter said.
Background: In recent weeks, Propublica reported that at least two Doge Aides assigned to the CFPB helped coordinate large layoffs for the institution while maintaining financial arrangements that experts described as conflicts of interest or conflicts of interest. In the case of Gavin Kliger, Propublica reported that the bureau’s ethics lawyer warned the 25-year-old software engineer that he was unable to hold the stock and would not be able to participate in the actions of key institutions. Nevertheless, he helped oversee almost 90% of the layoffs of CFPB staff. This is what one expert called a “pretty clear violation” of federal criminal disputes law.
Response: DOJ declined to comment. Neither the Treasury Department, IRS, Doge or CFPB responded to requests for comment. An OGE spokesman said the agency had not commented on “the situation of a particular agency.” Kliger did not respond to emails seeking comment. The White House previously said, “These allegations are another attempt to reduce Doge’s important mission.” Krigger added that he “didn’t even manage the layoff” and that he “was completely lying this whole story.”
Why it matters: The Trump administration has repeatedly tested boundaries that mix individual and public business, from the president’s own entry into the cryptocurrency industry to Elon Musk’s dual role as both Doge’s founder and leading federal contractor. (Musk announced on Wednesday that he was leaving power.)
The lawmaker’s letters are added to an increase in chorus of good groups calling for external investigation into Kliger’s actions at the CFPB. Federal prosecutors can bring charges against government workers who violate criminal conflict, a crime punishable by up to $250,000 and up to five years in prison. However, one expert previously told Propoblica that it is unlikely to happen under Trump as the administration “has been heavily taken away public integrity, ethics and public corruption as their problems.”
Read the original report
Doge Aide, which is involved in dismantling the Consumer Bureau, owns stakes in companies that may benefit from the cuts
Doge Aide, who helped CFPB intestines, was warned of a potential conflict of interest
Musk’s advisors can make as much as $1 million a year while helping to dismantle Tesla and X-regulating agencies
