Hatch Act Violations and Data Security Breaches
Blue Press Journal (DC)
In a shocking revelation that raises serious concerns about data security and political interference within the U.S. government, newly disclosed Justice Department documents show that two members of Elon Musk’s so-called DOGE team — embedded at the Social Security Administration (SSA) during the Trump administration — maintained secret communications with an advocacy group allegedly seeking to overturn election results in key states.
According to a filing by Elizabeth Shapiro, a senior Justice Department official, one of these DOGE team members even signed an agreement that may have been intended to use Social Security data to match against state voter rolls — a move that could constitute a serious breach of federal law and a violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from using their positions for partisan purposes.
These disclosures, first highlighted in The Washington Post and Reuters, appear to undermine previous SSA claims that the DOGE unit’s mission was purely to “detect fraud, waste, and abuse” and modernize the agency’s technology systems.
A Pattern of Risky Data Practices
Shapiro’s filing — which corrects earlier testimony by SSA officials — reveals that DOGE staff stored sensitive data on unapproved third-party servers, including the commercial service Cloudflare, which is outside SSA’s security protocols. The SSA admitted it had no knowledge of this practice at the time and still cannot confirm what data was uploaded or whether it remains accessible.
In one particularly troubling episode, Steve Davis, a senior adviser to Musk, was copied on an email containing a password-protected file with private information of roughly 1,000 individuals from SSA systems. Investigators have yet to determine if Davis accessed the file, but its mere transmission outside secure channels represents a significant security lapse.
Court Orders and Ignored Restrictions
The Justice Department also revealed that DOGE team members had access to private Social Security profiles even after a federal court had explicitly prohibited such access. While the SSA insists the access was “never utilized,” one DOGE member also retained two months of access to a “call center profile” containing sensitive personal data.
These revelations echo broader concerns raised by ProPublica and NBC News about politicization and data misuse during the Trump era, when multiple agencies faced allegations of bending or breaking protocol to serve partisan objectives.
The Political Danger
The possibility that Social Security data — one of the most sensitive datasets in the federal government — could have been leveraged for political purposes is alarming. If confirmed, it would represent a profound abuse of public trust and a potential violation of federal election law.
Critics argue this fits into a larger pattern of the Trump administration blurring the lines between governance and political gain. The fact that these activities may have involved high-profile tech figures tied to Elon Musk only deepens the controversy.
Trump’s Lack of Accountability
Neither the SSA nor the White House has responded to requests for comment. The Justice Department has not publicly identified the two DOGE members or the advocacy group involved, leaving many unanswered questions about the scope of the potential breach.
The public deserves transparency — especially when the integrity of Social Security data and the sanctity of U.S. elections are at stake. Until full accountability is established, this case stands as a stark warning about the dangers of mixing political agendas with the stewardship of sensitive federal information.
Also see: AARP calls for accountability over DOGE sharing Social Security data
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