Trahan asks IG to probe DOGE privacy violation

BOSTON — Congresswoman Lori Trahan is leading a group of Democrats demanding an investigation of possible privacy violations by a former Treasury employee working with billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency.

In a letter to the U.S. Inspector General's office, Trahan and other lawmakers called for an "immediate" investigation into the "unauthorized and harmful actions" by Marko Elez, a computer programmer who was granted access to federal payment systems by Bureau of the Fiscal Service officials as his security clearance was still being processed.

The lawmakers allege his access to the data likely violated the Privacy Act of 1974, which prohibits agencies from disclosing personally identifiable information on taxpayers to third-parties, including other federal agencies, without obtaining written consent from individuals.

"Such an investigation is especially imperative as we determine the extent to which federal privacy laws were violated and how individual Americans were adversely affected," Trahan wrote in the four-page letter. "Congress and the public must fully understand the extent to which this Administration has improperly granted access to critical systems and sensitive data."

In March, Trahan called for closing loopholes in a half-century-old federal privacy law that she says has allowed the Trump administration to “weaponize” the personal financial data of tens of millions of Americans.

Trahan sent out a “request for information” letter to civil society, groups, privacy experts, recently fired federal employees seeking input about potential misuse of the Privacy Act of 1974, which was approved by Congress in response to the Watergate scandal.

Trump has touted the work of Musk and DOGE, pointing to tens of billions of dollars in canceled federal contracts and unsubstantiated claims of fraud and abuse pushed by the Tesla CEO and his team. 

Federal judges have blocked several of DOGE’s actions, but tens of thousands of workers have been fired or forced to step down based on its recommendations.

Democrats have labeled Trump’s relationship as corrupt because of Musk’s extensive contracts with the federal government and his financial support for the president’s campaign.

Democrats on the House Judiciary and House Oversight committees last month filed a Freedom of Information Act request questioning whether the Trump administration’s DOGE Service is operating "outside the bounds of federal law."

The lawmakers, including Democratic Mayland Rep. Jamie Raskin, requested information about DOGE’s access to sensitive data, its use of artificial intelligence, details about the group's staff and if there has been communication with Musk'c company's, including SpaceX and Tesla.

"The Administration and Mr. Musk have hidden behind a veil of secrecy as they systematically dismantle the federal government of the United States," the Democrats wrote in a March letter to DOGE administrator Amy Gleason. "The American people deserve answers, and we are committed to using every tool at our disposal to expose the truth about DOGE’s operations."