A staff member of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, has resigned following the exposure of racist social media posts. Marko Elez, a 25-year-old special government employee, stepped down after the Wall Street Journal linked him to a controversial Twitter account. The account, @nullllptr, had advocated for racism and eugenics, raising serious concerns about Elez's suitability for his role.
Elez was part of Musk's team working to reduce federal government spending and employee numbers. He had previously been approved by a federal judge to access the payment system at the U.S. Treasury, although his ability to share data from this system was restricted. The White House was asked by the Wall Street Journal about Elez's connection to the @nullllptr account, which posted incendiary remarks such as:
"Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool" – @nullllptr
The account also made other inflammatory statements, including:
"Normalize Indian hate" – @nullllptr
The account has since been deleted as of December. According to Elez's personal website, he had previous employment at SpaceX and Starlink. However, his recent role at DOGE came under scrutiny due to the association with the offensive social media account.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent had personally vetted one of the two Treasury employees from Musk's team, as part of their initiative to streamline government operations. Bessent emphasized that the approach taken by Musk's team was structured and deliberate.
"This is not some roving band running around doing things" – Scott Bessent
"This is methodical and it is going to yield big savings" – Scott Bessent
Despite these assurances, the situation surrounding Elez has cast a shadow over the efforts led by Musk to enhance government efficiency. The incident has also raised questions about the vetting process for individuals involved in sensitive government roles.