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Long after Musk and DOGE left, Trump admin still cleaning up USAID fraud and abuse
Confirmed
In Short: Elon Musk is leaving his role as a top adviser to President Trump after spearheading efforts to overhaul federal bureaucracy.
Elon Musk is stepping down from his role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, ending his tenure as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk announced his departure on X, his social media platform, expressing his disappointment with the progress made on the president's legislative agenda.
"As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk wrote in his post.
Musk's departure comes after a series of controversial moves and criticisms. He had previously expressed frustration with the federal bureaucracy, stating, "The federal bureaucracy situation is much worse than I realized."
Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson expressed sympathy for Musk's decision, saying, "I sympathize with Elon being discouraged."
The White House is now sending proposed rescissions to Capitol Hill to solidify some of the cuts made by DOGE. However, administration officials were vague about when Musk would step back from his position, leading to his abrupt announcement.
In addition to the bureaucratic overhaul, Musk has also been involved in political spending, having spent over $360 million in support of Trump's MAGA allies for the midterm elections.
The Trump administration is also facing legal challenges over the transparency of DOGE's operations. The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from the Trump administration challenging a lawsuit seeking access to records from Musk's time leading DOGE.
A former USAID administrator estimated that over 700,000 deaths could be attributable to cuts made by DOGE from its inception through July 2026.
Meanwhile, the USAID's Office of Inspector General (OIG) is actively investigating fraud and abuse in overseas aid programs. The OIG found that in one notable case, fraud totaled more than $100,000, with tens of thousands siphoned off in kickbacks.
The OIG's investigations have uncovered significant financial misconduct, including falsified employee contracts, forged signatures, and payroll fraud in organizations like the Association Subaahi Gumo (ASG) in Mali.
The Trump administration is committed to holding fraudsters accountable, with a senior official stating, "The U.S.-funded power grid in Pakistan, rife with bribery and kickbacks uncovered by USAID IG, reflects the fraud, waste, and abuse in overseas spending that the American people will no longer tolerate."
What this adds
The departure of Musk from DOGE leaves questions about the future of the department and the ongoing investigations into fraud and abuse within USAID.
What's confirmed
- Elon Musk is stepping down from his role as a top adviser to President Donald Trump, ending his tenure as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Musk announced his departure on X, his social media platform, expressing his disappointment with the progress made on the president's legislative agenda.
- "As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President @realDonaldTrump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending," Musk wrote in his post.
- The White House is now sending proposed rescissions to Capitol Hill to solidify some of the cuts made by DOGE. However, administration officials were vague about when Musk would step back from his position, leading to his abrupt announcement.
- In addition to the bureaucratic overhaul, Musk has also been involved in political spending, having spent over $360 million in support of Trump's MAGA allies for the midterm elections.
- The Trump administration is also facing legal challenges over the transparency of DOGE's operations. The Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal from the Trump administration challenging a lawsuit seeking access to records from Musk's time leading DOGE.
- A former USAID administrator estimated that over 700,000 deaths could be attributable to cuts made by DOGE from its inception through July 2026.
- Meanwhile, the USAID's Office of Inspector General (OIG) is actively investigating fraud and abuse in overseas aid programs. The OIG found that in one notable case, fraud totaled more than $100,000, with tens of thousands siphoned off in kickbacks.
- The OIG's investigations have uncovered significant financial misconduct, including falsified employee contracts, forged signatures, and payroll fraud in organizations like the Association Subaahi Gumo (ASG) in Mali.
What's still developing
- “I’m not happy about certain aspects of it, but I’m thrilled by other aspects of it,” he said.
- “The @DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.” A White House official, who requested anonymity to talk about the change, confirmed Musk’s departure.
- “Under President Trump’s leadership, we are aggressively hunting those who steal from American taxpayers and, as USAID IG investigators continue to do, will travel to the ends of the earth to hold fraudsters accountable,” a senior administration official familiar with the USAID's Office of Inspector General (OIG) told Just the News.
- Between May and November 2015, Gillani and Sutton created two companies and received purchase orders for forklift and crane services from a USAID awardee, the profits of which they kept for themselves.
- The fraud resulted in nearly $100,000 taken from the project, with Sutton receiving at least $21,000 in kickbacks, a USAID OIG report found.
- The OIG is a statutorily independent law enforcement agency.
- Fraudsters are also subject to criminal prosecution by the U.S.
- Agency for International Development (USAID), with more organizations and individuals getting debarred for criminal activity.
- The Trump administration’s effort to keep information about DOGE hidden from the public is yet another example contradicting the president’s claims that he is “the most transparent” chief executive in U.S.
- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a nonprofit watchdog group, filed a lawsuit to access records relating to DOGE’s work, arguing that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) applied to DOGE.
- DOGE was responsible for ripping through the budgets of several federal agencies last year, ostensibly in the name of cutting wasteful spending but oftentimes targeting spending priorities opposed by President Donald Trump and Musk.
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth has also brought him on board a three-person panel that will examine the future of technology for the U.S. military – a tremendous conflict of interest, given that Musk regularly seeks (and is often granted) billion-dollar contracts with the government.