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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Technology
David Smith in Washington

Ethics watchdog issues conflict of interest warning to Musk’s Doge agency

Donald Trump and Elon Musk during a rally in Washington DC, on 19 January 2025.
Donald Trump and Elon Musk during a rally in Washington DC, on 19 January 2025. Photograph: Bloomberg/Getty Images

A leading ethics watchdog has issued warnings to Donald Trump’s billionaire ally Elon Musk and the “department of government efficiency” (Doge), an agency Trump has stated he will create, claiming its use of encrypted messaging apps potentially violates the Federal Records Act (FRA).

American Oversight, which uses litigation to obtain public records and expose government misconduct, argues that Musk’s leadership of Doge raises “significant ethical concerns about potential conflicts of interest”, given his business empire and the substantial impact that Doge could have on federal agencies.

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