OPINION: Elon Musk’s young DOGE staffers illustrate hypocrisy on DEI

Photo via: The White House/Public domain/Wikimedia Commons

Danny Murnin, a Senior studying Journalism, argues that Elon Musk’s DOGE exemplifies the hypocrisy of the Trump Administration on DEI and merit of its staffers.

To put it mildly, nearly everything about President Donald Trump’s second administration so far is unorthodox, for better or worse. But the strangest, most alarming aspect is how a group of very young and inexperienced, college-aged employees are assisting in a hostile takeover of the federal government, even while Trump’s party preaches the importance of merit. 

Even with the chaos and controversies of Trump’s first term, the order of things in the federal government was largely upheld, preserving normalcy in Washington to a high degree. Things are different this time around. This is mainly because on Trump’s first day back in office, he signed an executive order that established the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). DOGE’s main purpose is to reduce federal spending. DOGE is led by Elon Musk, designated as a “special Government employee.” 

DOGE is a monstrosity of an organization that is wreaking havoc on the federal government. Of particular concern are DOGE’s actions to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), an agency that does critical humanitarian work and advances American interests across the globe, and efforts to improperly access sensitive personal data in the U.S. Treasury Department system. 

Amidst all this, the Trump administration has been waging war against diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs in the federal government and private sector. DEI is meant to increase access to opportunities for people from marginalized communities and diverse backgrounds. While DEI programs have existed for decades, initiatives in all layers of society grew dramatically after the fallout of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. DEI has been under attack from the Republican Party for several years now. 

DEI has some glaring issues and I agree with Republicans that many colleges, corporations and state and local governments have taken it too far. But more often than not, valid concerns get lost in the mess of vicious culture wars because Republicans seem to blame everything that goes wrong on DEI. 

Republicans have offered DEI as an explanation for a bridge collapse in Baltimore, Trump’s near-assassination, the response to the Los Angeles wildfires and, most recently, the tragic airplane crash over the Potomac River. 

Furthermore, while I agree with Republicans that merit must always be the primary consideration when giving people opportunities, they have very little credibility to make that case. 

Unsurprisingly, Trump’s administration is already full of people in important roles who have no business being in them. Still, there is no better example of the disconnect in this administration between what they say about valuing merit and how much value they actually place on it than the individuals helping Musk run DOGE. 

On Feb. 2, a bombshell report from WIRED revealed that six boys between the ages of 19 and 24 play an essential role in running DOGE and carrying out its activities. There is no evidence that any of these boys are remotely qualified for their positions. On the contrary, information has come out that calls into question how they were even allowed to be considered for these roles in the first place. 

Meet Edward Coristine, for example. At just 19, he is the youngest of the six, but there are plenty of red flags in his background. Coristine, who goes by the nickname “Big Balls” online, is the founder of several start-ups including Tesla.Sexy LLC, which controls dozens of web domains, including a few registered in Russia. Coristine briefly interned for Path Network, a cybersecurity company known for hiring convicted hackers. His time there was so brief because he was fired for leaking company secrets to a competitor. In 2022, a Telegram account linked to him posted about wanting to find a cyberattack-for-hire service. An FBI agent interviewed by WIRED said he didn’t believe Coristine would have been able to pass the background check typically required of people with access to such sensitive data. He somehow still has a job even after this information came to light, and is now apparently a senior adviser at the State Department.

There is also 25-year-old Marko Elez, who recently resigned after a string of vile, racist posts were uncovered. According to his posts, Elez hates Indians, wanted to repeal the Civil Rights Act of 1904, considers himself racist, and supports eugenics. Somehow, this individual was granted editing access to a sensitive Treasury Department system that oversees $5 trillion in payments. Musk indicated he would rehire Elez.

The insanity of this can’t be overstated. Decisions about critical government funding are being made by a rogue agency staffed by young, immature individuals who are barely out of college. Where is the merit discussion here? For an organization that has made pushing back against DEI a central part of its message, it is laughable that DOGE couldn’t find people actually qualified for the work they are doing. 

None of this should come as a surprise. I find it preposterous that there are lawmakers, government officials, and business leaders, including Democrats, who thought DOGE was going to be anything other than the ultimate amateur hour show. 

This is just more evidence that the idea that the Republican focus on DEI is exclusively about merit is nonsense. The party and people associated with it have shown time and time again that they don’t actually care about merit. It isn’t too late for them to begin putting their money where their mouth is, however. A good way for Trump and his party to start would be by shutting down DOGE.

Please note that these views and opinions do not reflect those of The New Political.