Recent court filings have revealed that Marko Elez, a staffer for the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), violated Treasury Department policies by sending a spreadsheet containing personal information to two officials in the Trump administration. This information emerged from a forensic analysis conducted as part of a lawsuit by New York and other state attorneys general aimed at blocking DOGE's access to sensitive taxpayer data.
Elez, previously employed at the Treasury and later rehired at the Social Security Administration (SSA), had resigned earlier this year following the surfacing of racist social media posts linked to him. The forensic investigation found that while Elez did not alter any payment data, he emailed a spreadsheet with identifiable information to officials at the General Services Administration (GSA). The spreadsheet included names, transaction types, and amounts of money, but did not contain sensitive identifiers like Social Security numbers.
Despite being classified as low-risk, the transmission of this information violated established Treasury protocols due to the lack of encryption and prior approval. The implications of this incident raise concerns about data security practices within DOGE, particularly as the Treasury has warned that disruptions to its payment systems could have serious consequences, affecting federal obligations and social support payments. Attorneys general involved in the lawsuit have expressed their opposition to modifications of the current restraining order, citing ongoing risks to private data security.