Musk's Role in Trump Administration Faces Legal Scrutiny Amid Misinformation on Social Security Payments
Recent claims by Trump and Musk about Social Security fraud involving centenarians have been debunked, as legal challenges to Musk's agency continue.
O’Malley criticized Musk for putting out claims that he "can never back up."
CNN anchor surprised when former Social Security official laughs off questions about fraud
FOX News·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans RightThis outlet slightly leans right.It is true that improper payments have been made, including some to dead people.
Tens of millions of dead people aren't getting Social Security checks, despite Trump and Musk claims
Associated Press·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Chutkan recognized the concerns of the group of states, which include New Mexico and Arizona.
Federal judge refuses to immediately block Elon Musk and DOGE from federal data or worker layoffs
PBS NewsHour·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.Artificial intelligence powerhouse Nvidia continually hold CEOs' attention.
Trump tariffs, Musk's DOGE role and AI are among the top concerns shared by CEOs, Cramer says
CNBC·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Miller defended President Donald Trump‘s appointment of advisers, including himself and DOGE head Elon Musk, to work within the government, arguing this is how democracy works in that people vote for a president who then recruits people to serve on his staff.
Stephen Miller shouts at CNN anchor in heated interview over DOGE findings
Washington Examiner·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans RightThis outlet slightly leans right.At this point, it remains unclear exactly how DOGE’s work will affect the states.
Federal judge won’t immediately block Elon Musk or DOGE from federal data or worker layoffs
Los Angeles Times·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.It was a rare legal victory for the Trump administration, which has seen several federal courts issue restraining orders to halt its actions.
US judge declines to halt Trump’s push to slash federal workforce
Al Jazeera·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.Trump appointed Michelle King the acting commissioner on Jan. 20, but she lasted less than a month after clashing with Republican megadonor Elon Musk, who is calling some of the shots at several government agencies.
Trump Can’t Recall if He Fired the Head of Social Security or if She Quit: ‘I Don’t Know’
MEDIAite·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.The decision is a blow to Democratic officials who want to stop President Donald Trump’s efforts to trim the federal workforce.
Federal Judge Rejects Dems’ Effort To Halt DOGE’s Staffing Purges, Access To Sensitive Data
Daily Caller·1M
·Mixed ReliableThis source has a mixed track record—sometimes accurate but also prone to bias, sensationalism, or incomplete reporting.RightThis outlet favors right-wing views.The ruling does not end the case, and Chutkan, who presided over the now-scuttled criminal election interference case against President Donald Trump, made clear she has concerns about DOGE's powers and authority.
Judge denies states' bid to curtail DOGE's powers
NBC News·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.The lawsuit alleged that Musk's "seemingly limitless and unchecked power to strip the government of its workforce and eliminate entire departments with the stroke of a pen or click of a mouse would have been shocking to those who won this country's independence."
Business Insider·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.The unprecedented exodus teed up a dramatic battle between Trump loyalists who have taken control of Washington and career civil servants attempting to hold the line against alleged overreach.
Jack Smith among 900 former prosecutors alarmed by Trump's DOJ
Axios·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.The court is aware that DOGE’s unpredictable actions have resulted in considerable uncertainty and confusion for Plaintiffs and many of their agencies and residents.
DC judge blocks bid to stop DOGE mass firings, federal data access
New York Post·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans RightThis outlet slightly leans right.The Tesla and SpaceX CEO's exact role in the Trump administration could be a crucial factor as it relates to DOGE's access to government data.
Judge Chutkan rejects bid to block Musk and DOGE from federal systems
Newsweek·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.As DOGE penetrates ever deeper into federal networks, pushing staff to quit and demanding scything budget cuts, its internal workings remain largely a black box — despite Musk’s promises of transparency.
Elon Musk Is DOGE’s Frontman But He Doesn’t Actually Work There
Bloomberg·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.The resignation adds to broader upheaval within the justice department, where prosecutors considered unaligned with current leadership have faced termination, particularly those involved in January 6 investigations.
Top US prosecutor quits over pressure to investigate Biden climate spending
The Guardian·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.Musk has not been nominated by the president nor confirmed by the U.S. Senate, as constitutionally required for officers who exercise 'significant authority pursuant to the laws of the United States.'
Judge won't block Musk and DOGE from accessing data, making cuts at 7 federal agencies
CBS News·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Trump officials apparently suspect that the grant may be associated with wire fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States.
Senior DC prosecutor quits rather than get to bottom of fishy funding decision by Biden EPA
The Blaze·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.RightThis outlet favors right-wing views.When you add it all up, it amounts to a radical makeover of the federal government in which no one in the new regime is willing to acknowledge what’s happening or who’s in charge.
Elon Musk and GOP Pretend No One Is Responsible for DOGE Chaos
New York Magazine·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.The DOGE team has roamed from agency to agency, tapping into computer systems, digging into budgets and searching for waste, fraud and abuse, while lawsuits pile up claiming Trump and DOGE are violating the law.
White House Says Elon Musk Is Not In Charge at DOGE
TIME Magazine·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.Leans LeftThis outlet slightly leans left.Cheung's resignation is the latest shakeup to the Justice Department under the new administration.
DC federal prosecutor refuses to comply with Trump administration directive, resigns
USA TODAY·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Musk’s exact role could be key in the legal fight over DOGE’s access to government data as the Trump administration moves to lay off thousands of federal workers.
White House says Elon Musk is Trump’s adviser and not the DOGE administrator
Boston Herald·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans RightThis outlet slightly leans right.There’s no denying the accuracy of that assessment.
In court filing, White House says Musk isn’t actually leading DOGE
MSNBC·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.LeftThis outlet favors left-wing views.A lawsuit challenging Department of Government Efficiency’s (DOGE) efforts to access federal data as part of its mission to root out government inefficiencies might not go as planned.
Judge Tanya Chutkan Just Ruined the Anti-DOGE Crowd's Day
Townhall·1M
·Mixed ReliableThis source has a mixed track record—sometimes accurate but also prone to bias, sensationalism, or incomplete reporting.Far RightThis outlet leans heavily toward right-wing views.The newly minted DOGE agency, a key promise of President Trump’s reelection campaign, is aggressively slashing government waste when it comes to government spending.
DOGE unleashing ‘a reckoning’ that will have Dems ‘pitching a fit,’ subcommittee member says
Fox Business·1M
·Mostly ReliableThis source is generally reliable but sometimes includes opinion, propaganda, or minor inaccuracies.Leans RightThis outlet slightly leans right.Musk not being the legal leader of DOGE is a legal and technical distinction that contradicts the public representations made by Musk, DOGE and President Trump about the billionaire's position in the federal government, and continues to raise questions about the operations of an effort that Musk claimed to be "maximally transparent."
White House says Elon Musk is not in charge of DOGE -- legally, anyway
NPR·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.Some lawmakers have been critical of DOGE, which has been examining data across executive branch agencies in recent weeks.
Elon Musk Not DOGE Employee, Has No Decision-Making Authority: White House
Epoch Times·1M
·Mixed ReliableThis source has a mixed track record—sometimes accurate but also prone to bias, sensationalism, or incomplete reporting.RightThis outlet favors right-wing views.Almost a month into the Trump Administration, the Department of Government Efficiency has announced substantial savings in government spending.
DOGE Announces $55 Billion in Savings
Newsmax·1M
·Mixed ReliableThis source has a mixed track record—sometimes accurate but also prone to bias, sensationalism, or incomplete reporting.RightThis outlet favors right-wing views.The mystery about DOGE's organization and leadership does not appear limited to members of the public; lawyers for the Trump administration have similarly struggled with the question in court.
Contradictory statements about Musk make it unclear who runs DOGE
ABC News·1M
·ReliableThis source consistently reports facts with minimal bias, demonstrating high-quality journalism and accuracy.CenterThis outlet is balanced or reflects centrist views.
Summary
A White House affidavit clarified that Elon Musk serves as a senior adviser, not as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Recent claims by Trump and Musk about tens of millions of centenarians fraudulently receiving Social Security payments have been refuted, stating they misrepresent the data. A federal judge recently denied immediate relief to 14 states against Musk's involvement with DOGE, highlighting ongoing confusion surrounding this oversight body. Meanwhile, Justice Department unrest prompted the resignation of Denise Cheung after she resisted directives from Trump-appointed officials, affecting the agency's stability and clarity in power dynamics.
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