WH Spox Karoline Leavitt Fails to Produce a Name When Asked: Who is in Charge of DOGE?
C-SPAN
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt did not identify anyone when asked directly who is in charge of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
To the surprise of many, that person — it turns out — is not Elon Musk. In a legal filing Monday night, Joshua Fisher — the director of the White House’s Office of Administration — stated in an affidavit that Musk is “not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service temporary organization.” So despite all outward appearances and even public comments to the contrary Musk is not running DOGE — the outfit which is wreaking havoc across the government with its recommendations of mass layoffs, which the White House says are technically being carried out by the specific agencies themselves.
But if it’s not Musk, then who is in charge of DOGE? A reporter asked Leavitt to identify the mysterious person at a press gaggle on Tuesday. (Video via Newsweek.)
“The filing… specifically said that Elon Musk is not the administrator of DOGE,” the reporter asked. “Who is the administrator? And is Musk directly consulting with that person.”
Yet Leavitt did not produce a name.
“I just answered this question about Elon Musk,” Leavitt said. “He is a special government employee within the executive office of the President. And the agencies are directing the cuts of the wasteful spending.”
Leavitt is not the only White House staffer who has failed to produce the name of the person who is running DOGE. In an interview Tuesday on CNN, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller also did not identify anyone specifically tasked with leading DOGE — when pressed by anchor Brianna Keilar.
“So who is in charge of DOGE?” Keilar asked.
“The President of the United States,” Miller replied.
“He’s the administrator of DOGE?” Keilar asked.
“No,” Miller replied. “DOGE is what was formerly U.S. Digital Services. It’s an agency of the federal government that reports in to the office of the Executive Office of the President, which reports to the President of the United States.”
And even DOGE employees reportedly don’t know who their leader is. DOGE — as Miller pointed out on CNN — is the rebranded name of an organization that was previously called the U.S. Digital Service. According to Wired, multiple legacy employees from that organization have not been able to get a straight answer on who the acting administrator is, despite asking multiple times.
With the $55 billion DOGE claims it has saved the U.S. government thus far, perhaps it can spare a few bucks for some business cards for its administrator — whoever they are.
