'Normalize Indian hate': Musk's DOGE employee resigns over racist tweets
What's the story
Marko Elez, an employee at Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has resigned after facing backlash for his racist social media posts.
The controversy erupted after the Wall Street Journal unearthed the posts associated with an X account identified as @markoelez.
The 25-year-old software engineer, who had worked with SpaceX and X, faced criticism for posts urging to "normalize Indian hate."
Post details
Elez's controversial posts and role at DOGE
Along with the Indian hate post, Elez's account also called for a "eugenic immigration policy" and slammed the Civil Rights Act.
One post read, "Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool," while another expressed hesitance to marry outside his ethnicity.
At DOGE, Elez had administrator-level access on the United States Treasury Department's payment systems and worked toward improving efficiency by cutting costs and eliminating fraud.
Resignation impact
Aftermath of Elez's resignation
After Elez's resignation, a US judge restricted DOGE staffers' access to Treasury systems, providing only "read-only" access to two special government employees.
This incident further adds to the scrutiny Musk's DOGE initiative has faced from lawmakers and federal employee unions over privacy concerns.
The initiative sought to slash funding for diversity programs across federal agencies.
Ongoing trend
Broader pattern of resignations and controversial hirings
Elez's resignation follows a wider trend of government resignations over uncovered racist comments or ties to white nationalists.
Despite this trend, recent staffing decisions have continued to raise eyebrows. The State Department's hiring of Darren Beattie, who has been vocal about dismantling diversity and civil rights programs, is one such example.
These incidents highlight ongoing debates within conservative circles about diversity policies and their impact on governance.