Elon Musk, Tesla CEO and head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a federal advisory body, has directly addressed recent controversies surrounding his alleged overreach and conflicts of interest.
On Tuesday afternoon, Musk stood beside U.S. President Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office. For approximately 30 minutes, he briefed reporters on DOGE and his activities.
Since Trump’s inauguration, DOGE employees have been deployed to various federal agencies to review excessive spending and propose significant workforce reductions.
However, DOGE employees sparked controversy when they gained access to the Treasury’s payment system, examined government expenditures, and reviewed personal information, including data on federal employees from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and student aid recipients from the Department of Education.
Further concerns arose regarding potential conflicts of interest. While Musk oversees DOGE operations, his companies, including SpaceX, have secured substantial contracts from the federal government.
In response, Congressman Mark Pocan (Democrat, WA) proposed the “Elon Musk Act,” prohibiting special federal employees like Musk from obtaining federal contracts.
Musk defended his position, asserting, “All of DOGE’s actions are completely transparent. ” He added, “There is no room for conflicts of interest, and the public can trust the work.” Musk compared the intense scrutiny he faces to “getting a daily proctology exam,” arguing that such constant public exposure necessitates full transparency.
Sitting at the Resolute Desk, Trump defended Musk, stating that if there were any lack of transparency or conflicts of interest, they wouldn’t allow Musk to continue his work. He added that it’s hard to believe that judges would prevent them from rooting out corruption.
However, the New York Times reported, “Musk’s business empire benefits from Trump’s major reforms.” It was noted that at least 11 federal agencies, which had been conducting over 32 investigations into six of Musk’s companies before Trump’s second term, had been affected by agency restructuring. These investigations have reportedly been halted due to agency closures or the dismissal of key officials.
