DOGE Installs a Former Tesla Employee at the FBI

As part of the so-called Department of Executive Efficiency a former Tesla employee has been installed as a senior adviser to the Federal Bureau of Assessment records shared with The Intercept show Tarak Makecha who previously worked at Elon Musk s electric car company now has roles at both the FBI and the Justice Department s Justice Management Division according to staff lists At the FBI the records show Makecha is a senior advisor to the agency s executive assistant director for human information At the Justice Management Division he is listed as an advisor to the office of the chief information officer which oversees IT and cybersecurity for the department According to a DOJ source who spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of retaliation Makecha s work at the Justice Department has focused in part on the department s grant-making operations which DOGE in the last few days leveraged to target a criminal justice nonprofit Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House Musk s DOGE squad has swept through federal agencies swiftly gutting targets like the U S Agency for International Improvement and the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau and gaining access to sensitive records systems at the Social Guard Administration and IRS Musk has entrusted this work to a secretive crew whose members often have ties to his own private ventures including Tesla SpaceX and X The records shared with The Intercept fill in gaps about Makecha and two other DOGE operatives assigned to the Justice Department where their aim remains unknown Makecha the FBI and the Justice Department did not promptly respond to The Intercept s requests for comment Related Musk Is Firing Federal Workers Who Prevent Bloated Tech Contracts Since the start of President Donald Trump s second term Makecha has reportedly worked for DOGE at other federal agencies including the Federal Communications Commission the State Department and the Office of Personnel Management Until January he worked as chief financial officer for a drone detection device company according to his LinkedIn profile From to Makecha worked in various role in Tesla s Bay Area offices largest part in the last few days as head of strategic planning for Tesla Vitality The DOJ source narrated The Intercept that Makecha likely started working at DOJ at the end of March focusing at least partly on the Office of Justice Programs one of the DOJ s grant-making components Earlier this month DOGE targeted one of the Justice Department s nonprofit grantees the Vera Institute of Justice a criminal justice transformation group Two DOGE staffers Nate Cavanaugh previously a tech entrepreneur and Justin Aimonetti one of several attorneys working for DOGE demanded a meeting to discuss getting a DOGE association assigned to the Vera Institute according to emails distributed by the nonprofit During a -minute phone call the DOGE duo explained a plan to install DOGE teams at every institute or agency that has congressional monies appropriated to it according to the Vera Institute DOGE backed down after the Vera Institute explained that the Justice Department had in the past few days terminated all of the Vera Institute s grants The Vera Institute apparently also had to explain to DOGE s attorney the difference between nonprofit entities established by Congress and nonprofits like it that absolutely receive federal funding through grants Agency records do not list either Cavanaugh or Aimonetti as DOJ employees The Vera Institute commented Makecha was not on any of the calls or emails its staff had with DOGE Makecha is only the second DOGE staffer identified at the FBI and the third identified at any Justice Department component Records shared with The Intercept confirm that a former SpaceX shield director Justin Monroe is also detailed from DOGE to the FBI s human materials branch as has previously been shared But the DOJ records also list Monroe as counsel within the attorney general s office which has not been communicated It s a seemingly odd title according to the DOJ source because Monroe s background is in safety and cyberwarfare and The Intercept was unable to find any record that Monroe has a law license or legal training The records also confirm that another DOGE staffer Christopher Stanley whose online profiles still list him as an current employee at both X and SpaceX has a role at the Justice Department within the deputy attorney general s office where he is a senior advisor according to Reuters On Inauguration Day Stanley was boots on the ground to help January defendants get issued following Trump s sweeping pardon Monroe and Stanley did not right away respond to The Intercept s inquiries either The post DOGE Installs a Former Tesla Employee at the FBI appeared first on The Intercept