*Agents* of #billionaire #ElonMusk’s #DOGE have gained access to highly restricted government records on millions of federal employees — including #Treasury & #State Dept officials in sensitive #security positions — as part of a broader effort to wrest control over the government’s main personnel agency, according to 4 US officials with direct knowledge of the developments.

#law #USpol #NationalSecurity #Trump #TrumpCoup

…The records maintained by the Office of Personnel Management, #OPM, amount to a repository of sensitive info about employees of most #FederalAgencies — including addresses, demographic profiles, salary details & disciplinary histories. The moves at the OPM by members of #ElonMusk’s pseudo-governmental DOGE have coincided w/similar efforts to gain access to sensitive systems at other agencies, including a #Treasury Dept system responsible for processing trillions of dollars in US govt payments…

Records obtained by The Post show that several members of #ElonMusk’s #DOGE team — some of whom are in their early 20s & come from positions at his private companies — were given “administrative” access to #OPM computer systems within days of #Trump’s inauguration last month. 🚨That gives them sweeping authority to INSTALL & MODIFY SOFTWARE on government-supplied equipment &, according to 2 OPM officials, to ALTER internal documentation of THEIR OWN ACTIVITIES.

#law #TrumpCoup

The #DOGE team’s demand for access to #OPM files & networks came as #ElonMusk deputies arrived at the agency promising to wipe out 70% of its staff…. A senior OPM ofcl, during a team meeting Wed, said that core units focused on modernizing the agency’s network & improving accountability are “likely to go away,” acc/to a recording of the session obtained by The Post. Those who have been reassigned at the agency include the chief information officer & the chief financial officer.

#security #law

Meanwhile, morale has plummeted, said 3 #OPM ofcls, as #DOGE agents have clashed w/senior career personnel. One official recalled a recent meeting in which a young DOGE team member began screaming at senior developers & calling them “idiots.”

A halt to IT upgrades — along w/fresh access by outsiders w/the power to install new programs — could create novel vulnerabilities at an agency that has been repeatedly #hacked by foreign #intelligence services.

#security #law #Trump #ElonMusk

“It’s like you’re defending some medieval castle & someone comes in & starts firing all the archers who are positioned to defend it,” a former U.S. #intelligence official said. “You let your defenses down. It’s a perfect time to strike.”

#security #law #Trump #TrumpCoup #ElonMusk

The #Trump admin has suggested that members of the #DOGE team have the authority to review sensitive govt files but has refused to provide details about whether #security clearances have been issued. The speed w/which any clearances would have been supplied suggests they may have skipped customary precautions, including #FBI background checks, US ofcls said.
Trump issued an #ExecutiveOrder last month that bypasses the normal procedure for White House staff security checks, DOGE went unmentioned.

At least 6 #DOGE agents were given broad access to all personnel systems at the #OPM on the afternoon of Jan 20, the day of Trump’s inauguration, acc/to 2 agency ofcls. 3 more gained access ~1 week later, they said.

The data that the DOGE team can access includes a massive trove of personal info for millions of federal employees…. It also includes personal info for anyone who applied to a federal job through the site USAJobs, the people said. Last year alone… there were 24.5M applicants.

The 2 #OPM ofcls said the level of access granted to #DOGE agents means they could copy SSNs, phone numbers & personnel files for millions….

“They could put a new file in someone’s record, they could modify an existing record,” one said. “They could delete that record out of the database. They could export all that data about people who are currently or formerly employed by the govt, they could export it to some nongovernment server, or their own PC, or a Google Drive. Or to a foreign country.”