Doge official at DOJ bragged about hacking, distributing pirated software

reuters.com

24 points·pmags··6 comments

I'm guessing many on HN will chalk this up to youthful indiscretion, but the fact that there were seemingly no background checks done on DOGE personnel is deeply disturbing as many of these DOGE-ies have access to key governmental systems.

It's a feature, not a bug. They want the systems dismantled and all government employees retired.

> the fact that there were seemingly no background checks

Cite?

https://www.warner.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2025/2/releas...

https://www.npr.org/2025/03/11/nx-s1-5305054/doge-elon-musk-...

https://www.vitallaw.com/news/doge-team-temporarily-blocked-....

None of those indicate that it's a fact that there were seemingly no background checks. And to the contrary, it is a fact that to me, it does not seem like there were no background checks, which seems to refute your claim entirely.

The TRO issued by U.S. District Judge Ellen Hollander, blocking DOGE from accessing systems at the Social Security administration specifically calls this out.

https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.mdd.577...

From pgs. 66-67 of the decision I quote:

" The hurried manner in which the Treasury DOGE Team was granted access to Treasury systems mirrors the rushed manner in which at least some members of the SSA DOGE Team were granted access to SSA systems. See ECF 22-10 (Flick Decl.), ¶¶ 15, 16, 23, 24, 27, 29, 40, 48 (repeatedly referencing the “rushed nature” of the onboarding and training of Bobba and Russo). For example, several members of the SSA DOGE Team were granted access to SSA systems before their background checks were completed or their inter-agency detail agreements were finalized. "

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