Previously, a lawsuit accused Trump of delegating unchecked authority to Musk without congressional authorization.

On Monday, Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House Office of Administration, denied before the District of Columbia’s Federal Court that Elon Musk is the legal head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

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According to the document submitted by Fisher, Musk is neither the administrator nor an employee of DOGE but rather a White House worker serving as an advisor to President Donald Trump. The White House claims that Musk does not have direct authority to make government decisions. Fisher, however, did not clarify who the legal head of DOGE is.

This Trump administration’s action comes in response to a lawsuit filed by several Democratic attorneys general from different states, accusing the U.S. president of having delegated to Musk “virtually unchecked authority” without congressional authorization.

Paradoxically, the claim that Musk is not the legal head of DOGE contrasts with public statements made thus far by Trump, Musk, and DOGE itself.

After winning the 2024 election, Trump announced the creation of DOGE to reduce bureaucracy and placed businessmen Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy at its helm, though the latter later distanced himself from the institution. Last week, Musk was in the Oval Office alongside Trump, detailing to the press the actions DOGE is undertaking and assuring that its management is “transparent.”

To date, DOGE and Musk have led the dismantling of entities such as the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), which is responsible for overseeing Wall Street and protecting consumers.

Elon Musk’s significant power within the Trump administration has raised concerns in some departments, and a federal judge has blocked DOGE’s access to the Treasury Department’s payment system.

teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE

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