U.S. President-elect Donald Trump was seen walking with Elon Musk as they headed to watch the sixth test flight of SpaceX’s Starship rocket in Brownsville, Texas, on November 19, 2024.
In a significant move over the weekend, a federal judge has issued a temporary halt on political appointees and special government employees from accessing confidential Treasury Department data. This includes officials working for the Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE.
This action follows a lawsuit filed by attorneys general from 19 states against the federal government. They argue that Elon Musk and his team at DOGE lacked the legal authority to access Treasury Department data, which comprises sensitive details like Americans’ social security numbers and private financial information.
U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer responded by placing a restraining order in effect. This prohibits granting certain government officials access to any payment records or data systems managed by the Treasury Department that hold personal or financial information about payees. Moreover, anyone who may have accessed this information since the start of Trump’s term is ordered to delete all downloaded copies immediately.
A hearing has been scheduled for February 14, where further arguments regarding the request for a preliminary injunction will be presented by the attorneys general.
Neither the White House nor the Department of Justice have commented on the recent developments.
Another lawsuit filed in Washington earlier this week, by union members and retirees, raises similar concerns. They claim DOGE’s data access violates federal privacy laws.
In response, the Trump administration agreed on Wednesday to restrict data access to just two DOGE staff members, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, who will only have ‘read-only’ access under specific circumstances.
Meanwhile, Marko Elez recently resigned from DOGE following reports by the Wall Street Journal linking him to a troublesome social media account with racist and eugenic content.
Vice President JD Vance supported Elez on social media, suggesting that “I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life.” In turn, Musk stated his intention to reinstate Elez to his role within DOGE.
