A staff member connected to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has resigned following the resurfacing of racist social media posts. The resignation of Marko Elez, a 25-year-old software engineer, was confirmed by a White House official who requested anonymity to discuss the matter publicly.
Elez was part of a team working within the Treasury Department focused on reducing costs and eliminating fraud as part of Musk’s initiative. He held a temporary position that granted him access to sensitive Treasury systems responsible for processing trillions of dollars in payments annually. His role raised concerns, particularly after his posts on Musk’s social media platform were highlighted by The Wall Street Journal.
The posts, which have since been deleted, included offensive comments about race and ethnicity. In September, Elez’s account stated, "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity," and another post read, "Normalize Indian hate." Earlier posts dated back to July of last year, where he claimed, "I was racist before it was cool," and advocated for repealing the Civil Rights Act while expressing a desire for a eugenic immigration policy.
Despite the deletion of these posts, NPR verified their existence through the Internet Archive’s Wayback Machine. Elez did not respond to requests for comment from NPR regarding the situation.
The timing of Elez’s resignation coincides with increasing scrutiny from lawmakers and former federal employees about the number of staffers Musk has appointed to pursue aggressive cost-cutting measures, which some critics argue could undermine the functionality of federal agencies. Concerns have been raised about whether sensitive data, including personal banking information of Americans, could be compromised due to Elez’s access to the Treasury’s payment system.
In response to these concerns, two unions representing federal employees and a retiree advocacy group have filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department, alleging violations of federal privacy laws. A federal judge has since ordered that access to the payment system be temporarily restricted to individuals within the department.
Elez’s resignation highlights the ongoing challenges faced by the DOGE initiative, as it grapples with legal and ethical questions surrounding its operations. As Democratic lawmakers push for accountability regarding potential conflicts of interest involving Musk’s multiple business ventures, the political landscape remains contentious, especially with Republicans currently holding a majority in Congress.