• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
TechDonald Trump

A 25-year-old staffer with Elon Musk’s DOGE was accidentally given permission to edit a sensitive Treasury payments system

By
Beatrice Nolan
Beatrice Nolan
Tech Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Beatrice Nolan
Beatrice Nolan
Tech Reporter
Down Arrow Button Icon
February 13, 2025, 1:30 PM ET
Elon Musk wearing a black hat in the oval office
Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
  • A 25-year-old DOGE staffer, who resigned last week after being linked to a social media account that shared racist posts, was briefly given edit access to the Treasury Department’s secure payment system.

A 25-year-old DOGE staffer who resigned after being linked to racist social posts was briefly given edit permission over the Treasury Department’s payment systems, according to an official’s affidavit.

Recommended Video

In the affidavit, Joseph Gioeli III, deputy commissioner of transformation and modernization at the Treasury Department’s Bureau of the Fiscal Service, stated that Marco Elez was “mistakenly” given “read/write permissions instead of read-only” in an error that was “promptly corrected.” The read/write permissions occurred during Elez’s supervised, walk-through session, and an initial investigation found that “no unauthorized actions had taken place,” Gioeli said in the document.

“To the best of our knowledge, Mr. Elez never knew of the fact that he briefly had read/write permissions for the (Secure Payment System) database, and never took any action to exercise the ‘write’ privileges in order to modify anything within the SPS database,” Gioeli said.

The new document comes after various reports questioned what permissions the 25-year-old was granted over sensitive government payment systems. The Treasury had previously stated that DOGE had only been given read access, but a report from Wired had raised questions about that claim.

Democrats and other critics have decried DOGE’s access to sensitive information. Several Democratic lawmakers have also requested an investigation into the access that the Musk-led team was given to the government’s payment system. In a series of letters, they cited “threats to the economy and national security, and the potential violation of laws protecting Americans’ privacy and tax data.”

Representatives for the Treasury Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fortune.

Elez’s uncertain status at DOGE

The 25-year-old made headlines last week when he resigned from his role at Elon Musk’s DOGE after being linked to an X account that shared racist content.

The account, which has since been deleted, reportedly shared a post calling to normalize “Indian hate,” another that suggested Gaza and Israel be “wiped off the face of the Earth,” and one that said: “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.”

Fortune could not independently verify the posts, which were reported by The Wall Street Journal. The White House later said Elez had resigned from his role at DOGE.

Musk, President Donald Trump, and Vice President JD Vance have since advocated for Elez to be reinstated in his role.

“I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life,” Vance said in a post on X.

“We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever,” he added. “So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”

Trump later said he was “with the vice president” when questioned about Elez and Vance’s response during a news conference.

Musk has also polled X users about whether to bring the DOGE staffer back after making “inappropriate statements.” He later said Elez would be reinstated after 78% of respondents voted “Yes.”

Join us at the Fortune Workplace Innovation Summit May 19–20, 2026, in Atlanta. The next era of workplace innovation is here—and the old playbook is being rewritten. At this exclusive, high-energy event, the world’s most innovative leaders will convene to explore how AI, humanity, and strategy converge to redefine, again, the future of work. Register now.
About the Author
By Beatrice NolanTech Reporter
Twitter icon

Beatrice Nolan is a tech reporter on Fortune’s AI team, covering artificial intelligence and emerging technologies and their impact on work, industry, and culture. She's based in Fortune's London office and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of York. You can reach her securely via Signal at beatricenolan.08

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Tech

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Tech

Intuit was an AI pioneer. Why its stock became a SaaSpocalypse casualty
InvestingSoftware
Intuit was an AI pioneer. Why its stock became a SaaSpocalypse casualty
By Geoff ColvinApril 12, 2026
4 hours ago
Artemis III will practice docking Orion with lunar landers in Earth orbit next year while Musk’s Starship and Bezos’ Blue Moon compete for Artemis IV
InnovationNASA
Artemis III will practice docking Orion with lunar landers in Earth orbit next year while Musk’s Starship and Bezos’ Blue Moon compete for Artemis IV
By Marcia Dunn and The Associated PressApril 12, 2026
5 hours ago
$12 billion crypto company boss says Gen Z ‘create an absurd amount of chaos’ and make him want to pull his hair out—but he’s betting on them anyway
SuccessGen Z
$12 billion crypto company boss says Gen Z ‘create an absurd amount of chaos’ and make him want to pull his hair out—but he’s betting on them anyway
By Orianna Rosa RoyleApril 12, 2026
8 hours ago
mueller
CommentaryEntrepreneurship
I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. Here’s what I had to unlearn to build a $1 billion business
By Samuel MuellerApril 12, 2026
9 hours ago
grantham
Investingbubble
Legendary investor says the AI boom masks a deeper crisis: Falling sperm counts, shrinking populations, and vanishing resources
By Nick LichtenbergApril 12, 2026
9 hours ago
Wemimo Abbey and Samir Goel, the cofounders of fintech company Esusu
SuccessCareers
These cofounders quit corporate jobs, took on $100K in credit card debt, and slept in a Denny’s—now their $1.2B company is backed by Serena Williams
By Emma BurleighApril 12, 2026
10 hours ago

Most Popular

'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
Politics
'This is the last warning.' Iran threatens U.S. warships after they throw down the gauntlet for winner-take-all Strait of Hormuz
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
22 hours ago
Palantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
Future of Work
Palantir CEO says AI ‘will destroy’ humanities jobs but there will be ‘more than enough jobs’ for people with vocational training
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
1 day ago
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
Real Estate
The 'affordability economy' has created a housing market nobody predicted: Prices collapsing in the Sun Belt, soaring in the Rust Belt
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
2 days ago
A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course that’s spent $280 million on expansion: ‘Money ain’t everything’
Real Estate
A 93-year-old refused to sell her home to the Masters golf course that’s spent $280 million on expansion: ‘Money ain’t everything’
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
9 hours ago
Navy tests Hormuz blockade as expert says U.S. military prepares for round 2 and could degrade Iran's hold over the strait to a 'manageable level'
Politics
Navy tests Hormuz blockade as expert says U.S. military prepares for round 2 and could degrade Iran's hold over the strait to a 'manageable level'
By Fortune EditorsApril 11, 2026
1 day ago
'People are trying to be creative': Tariff-battered American companies are so cash-starved they are using refund claims as collateral for loans
Economy
'People are trying to be creative': Tariff-battered American companies are so cash-starved they are using refund claims as collateral for loans
By Fortune EditorsApril 12, 2026
12 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.