Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), recently stated that his involvement in the government is actually disadvantageous, claiming that his companies are “suffering” as a result.
In an exclusive interview with Fox News’ chief political anchor Bret Baier, Musk admitted that everything he does is constantly under extreme scrutiny.
“Everything I do is under extreme scrutiny. There’s not an action I can take that doesn’t get scrutiny… Every action that the DOGE team does is publicly put on the website. It’s the most amount of transparency there’s been about any government thing ever,” he said.
The Tesla CEO was responding to a question over potential conflicts of interest, given his role in the Donald Trump administration and the government contracts his companies secure.
“It's actually disadvantageous for me to be in the government, not advantageous. If I wasn't in the government, I could lobby and push for things that are advantageous to my companies and probably receive them. My companies are suffering because I’m in the government,” he stated.
Given that Musk’s diverse business interests, including SpaceX, Tesla, among others, frequently intersect with government regulators and contracts, there are growing concerns about how potential conflicts of interest might affect official government decisions.
Earlier, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told NBC News that Musk has already pledged he’d avoid potential conflicts of interest and like all Trump-appointed “special government employees,” he’s “abiding by all applicable laws.”
“For concerns regarding conflicts of interest between Elon Musk and DOGE, President Trump has stated he will not allow conflicts, and Elon himself has committed to recusing himself from potential conflicts. DOGE has been incredibly transparent about what they’re doing, posting daily updates on X and updating their website,” Leavitt said in a statement to NBC News.
Over the last few months, Musk and DOGE have drawn massive criticism for their efforts to curb waste, fraud, and abuse in the federal government. Critics argue that the department wields too much influence over federal systems and should not be allowed to cancel contracts or reduce funding to agencies.
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