United States: On Wednesday two U.S. Democratic lawmakers demanded information from the energy secretary about the access of Department of Government Efficiency members to classified weapon technology.
IMPORTANCE
U.S. Department of Energy sources have raised concerns about the access three members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, have to the Department of Energy’s IT systems, as reported by Reuters.
The DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration manages the country’s nuclear weapons stockpile and is responsible for managing dangerous materials proliferation risks.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright stated through CNBC last week that DOGE members lack security clearances while also staying away from an examination of nuclear weapons data. Wright said they are “friends in Elon’s broader circle.”
A department spokesman said on Wednesday: “No DOGE employees at the Energy Department have accessed or have been granted access to classified information or facilities including, but not limited to, NNSA classified information.”
It is a "domestic nuclear war" that Musk+DOGE have unauthorized access to all government data which disclosure is punished with 5 y prison. It is not "read only" as Musk boasted stopping payments. From 1 gov't contract alone his companies get 15 bio $
— alexandra bader (@cw_alexandra) February 11, 2025
https://t.co/pPucVfPnbN
KEY QUOTE
“The nation and the world need to know that U.S. nuclear secrets are robustly safeguarded,” the lawmakers, Senator Edward Markey and U.S. Representative Donald Beyer, wrote to Wright in a letter dated Wednesday. “It is, therefore, dangerously unacceptable that Elon Musk’s DOGE — including individuals lacking adequate security clearances — has been granted access to DOE’s information technology system despite legitimate security concerns inside the agency.”
CONTEXT
Luke Farritor serves as a member of DOGE at the department according to sources who note his work background as an intern for Elon Musk’s space company SpaceX and his computer science degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Luke Farritor refrains from answering requests for comment, as reported by Reuters.
The DOE sources fear that the secure information stored on computer drives and human resources systems will be accessible to members of the DOGE organization. The union members express concerns about DOGE obtaining access to energy project grant data, financial management system information, and loan statistics beyond what is stipulated in NNSA data systems.