As Elon Musk rampages around the federal government for four weeks, cancelling contracts and dismantling the entire department, he claims that all actions in Government Efficiency (DOGE) are “maximum transparent.” Masu.
However, nothing was clear about the details of Mask's actual work in the administration.
For some time after Trump was sworn in, it was unclear whether Musk had officially worked for the government. Two weeks later, the administration confirmed that he was in fact a “special government employee,” but refused to provide further details.
Later Monday, White House aide Joshua Fisher finally provided some kind of answer. As part of the court proceedings in the suit, Fisher declared the role of masks under perjury punishment, but the answer was rather curious.
Fisher revealed that Musk is “a senior White House adviser who doesn't have much more authority than other senior White House advisors. That means that Musk is an actual mandatory tool to make government decisions yourself. Or they have no formal authority,” he continued. Musks can only “advise the president and convey the president's instructions.”
But what about Doge, which Trump has established in the administrative department as “doge service of the United States”? Fisher said the masks are not the head of the US doge service, nor are they even employees. As to who will do it: the administration hasn't said.
This is all strange. Trump announced in November that Musk would lead the Doge, and that both Trump and Musk were certainly presenting Musk to take charge of the Doge. But the administration now legally and on paper claims it is not the case.
“No attention to that billionaire behind the curtain” casino could possibly be part of an effort to protect Musk from ethics and court scrutiny. It also helps to place his actions in a stronger legal three-dimensional form by asserting essentially merely a sum to the president who runs the executive branch through his instrumental musk. Masu.
Defensible claims – and questionable claims
In the declaration, Fisher made two claims about the role of masks. One is defensible, the other seems much more suspicious.
The first argument is that Musk is a White House adviser who is responsible for the president and acts in his authority. This is a defensible claim.
All recent administrations had strong White House aides who advised their policies and told agents what to do to some extent. Stephen Miller became unofficially known as “the president of immigrants” during Trump's first term. Other White House aides, such as national security advisors, play a role involving both coordination of various agencies and direct policy setting. And the Chief of Staff is effectively helping to manage the entire administrative department.
Mask is essentially such a very powerful White House advisor. He serves with the joy of the president and can be fired at any time. The reason he was so effective in getting various institutions to do what he wanted is because people perceive him – rightly – to act with Trump's approval. (“Elon can't do without approval, he doesn't do anything,” Trump said two weeks ago. “And then grant him approval if necessary.
As I wrote, many of the policies advanced by Doge are likely to be illegal, and I have doubts as to whether Musk's appointment is in compliance with ethics laws. However, it appears very unlikely that the court would declare that the president has a very strong White House advisor or that he would delegate the substantial policy-making impact to such advisors as being very unlikely. .
The structure of Doge attempts to create informal loyalty to Musk.
Fisher's second argument – much more suspicious – is that Musk doesn't head towards or work for Doge. This is “on paper,” but in fact it seems like a very misleading claim.
Understanding how it is true on paper is worth understanding how Doge works. The President's Executive Office has the US Doge Services – a rebranding of previous US digital services. But the mini-dogae teams, which are established within all agencies, also look at data and evaluate personnel.
According to the executive order setting up this structure, these mini-dodge teams need to “coordinate” with the main doge, but are actually employees of their respective agencies and officially report upwards at those agencies. That means.
But informally, Minidoge's team is positioned alongside mask allies who want to work with him and do what they want to do, even if they're not technically their boss.
The traditional proverb about government is that “where you stand depends on where you sit.” In other words, when someone works at an agency, they tend to see the world through the eyes of the agency and begin to express their benefits. The mini-dodge team setup is essentially an attempt to replace the informal loyalty of appointees to the world's wealthiest man with institutional considerations.
That's how the mask “runs Doge” without actually heading towards it. Technically, he is “advising” them. In reality, his advice is not actually an option. But ultimately, his authority comes from the president and could be revoked by him.
Still, there's something pretty brave about suggesting Musk to the judge that he's not leading the operation he's clearly headed. Judge Tanya Chukkan, who oversees the case in question, still doesn't sound eager to hold back Doji. However, she may have more questions as the declarations are presented that seemingly incomplete and evasive.
