President Donald Trump is being pushed to block Elon Musk from taking private advantage of classified US government information after the end of Elon’s short-term federal gig.
This pressure came directly from Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who on Wednesday urged Trump to force Elon and all other employees in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to sign legal documents stating they won’t use non-public data gained while working for the government.
This request followed concerns that Elon and his team had access to confidential data spanning a wide range of agencies, which could end up being used for personal gain once they leave public service.
Shaheen, a Democrat from New Hampshire, pointed out that DOGE’s staff includes many former employees from Elon’s companies like Tesla and SpaceX, and that they’ve had what she described as “unprecedented” access to massive amounts of sensitive information.
The agencies involved include the Social Security Administration, the Treasury, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and others that aren’t named.
Shaheen’s concern is that without firm restrictions, some of these individuals could jump right back into the private sector and use what they’ve seen behind closed doors to strengthen their own businesses or those tied to Elon.
Shaheen raises alarm over ethics risks with DOGE departures
In her letter to Trump, Shaheen warned about what she described as the dangerous mix of tech insiders and government access.
“I am very concerned that SGEs [special government employees], many of whom come from the tech field, may return to the private sector and use nonpublic information from the federal government to give their personal business activities an unfair and anticompetitive boost,” she wrote.
Shaheen also said that Steve Bannon, a former White House strategist under Trump, shares this concern. Bannon told Semafor’s Ben Smith he wanted official proof that no one has taken data from the government. When asked whether that meant he didn’t trust Elon, Bannon replied, “Trust, but verify.”
Despite all that, a White House official dismissed Shaheen’s letter as “pointless” and said the employees in question already have to follow federal ethics rules. That includes regulations that forbid them from misusing their position or any information obtained while in government service.
Elon, who gave financial support to Trump’s 2024 campaign, currently leads a mix of high-profile companies. Those include Tesla, SpaceX, and Starlink, as well as xAI, which builds artificial intelligence tools like the Grok chatbot.
xAI recently merged with X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, which is currently under investigation by Canada’s privacy regulator for allegedly using user data to train Grok without permission. These developments have fueled even more criticism of Elon’s access to government records during his term in DOGE.
DOGE was created to help cut waste in federal operations, and Trump handed Elon the reins. Since then, Elon has slashed departments, gutted agencies, and proposed eliminating entire regulatory offices—most of which are directly responsible for overseeing his private companies.
Elon’s 130-day term as an SGE is nearly up, and so is the term for several DOGE employees. While a few are expected to take permanent government jobs, others are planning a return to the private sector.
