A 25-year-old Department of Treasury staffer faces scrutiny after a policy violation involving sensitive information sharing during his tenure at the department.
According to Fortune, Marko Elez, a DOGE team member, breached Treasury protocols by transmitting unencrypted personal data to two Trump administration officials via email, leading to his subsequent resignation amid accusations of racist social media activity.
The incident came to light during a forensic investigation of Elez's email account and laptop, prompted by his departure in early February. Despite the violation, the shared spreadsheet contained what David Ambrose, chief privacy officer for the Bureau of the Fiscal Service, described as low-risk personally identifiable information, lacking specific identifiers such as social security numbers or birth dates.
The controversy surrounding Elez's actions drew attention from prominent political figures. President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, and Elon Musk publicly defended the young staffer following the Wall Street Journal's exposure of his controversial social media presence.
Their backing proved influential as Elez secured reinstatement to his DOGE position at the Social Security Administration. He now serves as one of ten DOGE team members within the social insurance agency, continuing his role despite the earlier controversy.
The Treasury Department has maintained silence on the matter, with no immediate response to inquiries about the incident. The situation highlights ongoing concerns about data handling practices within government agencies.
The revelation emerges amid significant legal challenges to DOGE's database access privileges. Nineteen state attorneys general initiated legal action against the Treasury Department in early February, successfully restricting the team's access to millions of Americans' personal financial records.
Court documents revealed that Elez had mistakenly received read-and-write privileges to Treasury systems. While he possessed these elevated access rights, investigations confirmed he made no alterations to department payment systems.
The DOGE team's primary mission involves identifying inefficiencies and potential fraud in government programs. However, critics argue that the young software engineers comprising the team lack adequate experience and training for handling sensitive government data.
Privacy advocates and Democratic lawmakers have expressed growing unease about DOGE's access to sensitive databases. These repositories contain crucial information, including financial records and Social Security beneficiary data.
The team's composition, primarily consisting of young professionals with limited government experience, has raised questions about their qualifications. This staffing approach forms part of the Trump administration's broader government efficiency initiative.
Recent developments have intensified scrutiny of the team's data security protocols, particularly regarding their access to sensitive government databases across various departments.
The 25-year-old former Treasury staffer's policy violation has exposed potential vulnerabilities in government data handling procedures. The incident involved sending unencrypted personal information to Trump administration officials, violating Bureau of the Fiscal Service policies. Despite these concerns, Elez has returned to government service within the Social Security Administration's DOGE team. The case continues to fuel ongoing debates about data security practices and appropriate access levels for government efficiency teams while legal challenges from state attorneys general remain active.
