House Democrat demands answers on Musk, DOGE alleged conflicts of interest

Rep. Gerry Connolly is demanding answers on how Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency are dealing with potential conflicts of interest.

In a letter to DOGE acting Administrator Amy Gleason on Wednesday, Mr. Connolly, the top ranking Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, accused President Trump’s efficiency department of operating in secret with little accountability, all while “hiding from the American people who is performing this work and, critically, what conflicts of interest they may have.”

The Virginia lawmaker requested that Ms. Gleason provide a list of DOGE’s employees, their roles, whether they are being paid for public sector work while receiving a paycheck for private sector activities, and what steps DOGE has taken to ensure that their work does not pose a conflict of interest.

The Washington Times reached out to the DOGE for comment.

Mr. Connolly made Mr. Musk, who was designated as a special government employee but is still actively the CEO of both SpaceX and Tesla, among others, the prime target of his letter.

“The culture of corruption at DOGE starts at the top,” Mr. Connolly wrote. “Elon Musk, President Trump’s largest campaign donor and handpicked head of DOGE, has personally disregarded ethics laws and wielded significant government authority at agencies that directly affect his business ventures and personal wealth.”

Mr. Musk touted DOGE’s efforts as a push to provide “maximum transparency” within the federal government to implement Mr. Trump’s quest to root out fraud, waste and abuse in Washington.

Still, the efficiency panel has come under intense scrutiny for how much power it wields, and has been hit with numerous lawsuits trying to slow down its breakneck pace.

Mr. Connolly said Mr. Musk’s employees at DOGE have “similarly ignored anti-corruption laws,” and he cited Cloud Software Group CEO Tom Krause, who was tapped by the tech-billionaire to take a senior-level position at the Treasury Department.

His latest letter comes on the heels of several recent actions the lawmaker has taken against DOGE. Earlier this week, Mr. Connolly and Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, filed a sprawling Freedom of Information Act request.

They requested clarification on Mr. Musk’s role at DOGE and the extent of employees’ access to sensitive databases, like payment systems at the Treasury Department.

Mr. Connolly and Mr. Raskin recognized their unusual step of filing a FOIA, and argued that the move was made because the White House and Mr. Musk have “hidden behind a veil of secrecy” and refused to respond to oversight requests from Democrats.

“In fact, Elon Musk declared late last year that, ’There should be no need for FOIA requests’ — presumably because the default for DOGE would be ’maximum transparency,’” they wrote. “He has utterly failed to follow through on that promise.”