...besides calling our Senators and Reps.
UPDATE #2 (h/t repost on BlueSky by Charles Gaba)
One of Musk's operatives allegedly ID'd.
Wired reported earlier that these individuals were generally reluctant to ID themselves and did not have government email addresses.
Don't know anything more right now. He's Canadian ? Anyone tell Turnip?
UPDATE: (h/t Jeffersonian Democrat)
Another agency! Civil servants doing their jobs RESISTED and were hit with RETALIATION.
Musk's agents reportedly sought classified info.
(Raw Story )
Story originally broken by CNN, good for them for once!
Two senior security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were threatened with arrest and then put on leave after refusing to let Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access systems at the agency.
In a report on Sunday, CNN said that personnel from DOGE were initially stopped after they tried to physically access USAID facilities in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. The DOGE personnel, who do not officially work for the U.S. government, demanded access and then threatened to call U.S. Marshalls.
"Three of the sources said the DOGE personnel wanted to gain access to security systems and personnel files. Two of those sources said also they wanted access to classified information," CNN reported.
[Emphasis added. More at link]
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This morning I made a fourth update about Musk & minions being in the nation's financial undies, i.e., its bank accounts, apparently without oversight, since Friday evening. And Musk bragging about working through the nights.
This is extremely concerning, obviously, and this morning a snippet posted on BlueSky that appears to report on a Twitter conversation between Musk and Mike Flynn (!) is even more so.
If you haven't been following this emergency, background at the above link. (Original post is getting too long, so making this separate.)
Meanwhile, there have been expressions of grave concern but otherwise apparently radio silence on specifics from everyone in Congress. Even if natural anxieties are overblown, someone should at least come forward and TELL US SO, :-/
I'll unpack this a little and then make some suggestions, all I can think of:
You'll probably have to enlarge onscreen.
--First off, this is an exchange between Musk and Mike Flynn. Yes, that Mike Flynn:
a retired United States Army lieutenant general and convicted felon who was the 24th U.S. national security advisor[2] for the first 22 days of the first Trump administration. He resigned in light of reports that he had lied regarding conversations with Russian ambassador to the United States Sergey Kislyak.
--Wikipedia
-- Second, where did these data come from? Is Musk sharing whatever he's accessed at Treasury with Flynn in particular, and/or the world at large? Did Flynn pick this up from public records or elsewhere? Unclear.
--Flynn characterizes payments to Lutheran Family Services and related entities as "money laundering." We can't tell from the fragments of data, but it looks like these payments are for grants or, more likely contracts, i.e., for services rendered.
--Musk in response characterizes them as "illegal payments" and asserts that his non-Department DOGE is "rapidly shutting down" the disbursements. In other words, that yes, they may be tampering in some way with the U.S. government payment system.
--One more thing to notice: at least 13 of the listed disbursements in 2024 that Flynn is complaining about were to LUTHERAN IMMIGRANT AND REFUGEE SERVICES INC. My guess, just a guess, would be that these are contracts for helping to take care of asylum seekers, possibly while in detention. Unless we see the contract paperwork, it's not possible to tell, but it could be a clue to one thing Musk might be after in those records.
Ideas
You may have some of your own, please share.
Contact the Treasury Department directly and demand that Secretary Scott Bessent immediately revoke Musk's access to these systems.
Bessent seems like a smart guy, and a number of Ds voted to confirm him, but he obviously has NO idea what he is dealing with in terms of data systems (or human beings, apparently). It's like giving the keys of a 747 to a 14-year-old video gamer,
Here is the career civil servant who did know what harm they could do, and announced his retirement when ordered to turn the keys over to Musk and his shambolic gremlins.
They need to get him back, because there is no knowing what may have already been effed up, let alone how to put it back. Ignorant botchers won't be able to, and may not want to. They could in principle even have installed spyware or malware at this point. Or taken money out and covered their trail.
Treasury contact page. Ask for the Office of the Secretary. If you can't get through to the main number, might anothrr one apply?
I'll put a screenshot, for the record, in a comment.
Maybe contact your bank, credit union, or if you have one, financial advisor?
Instituions like these have some sway and especially if they are getting many questions, may be motivated to extert some pressure of their own.
A lot of people are very concerned about what Musk's takeover might mean for their Social Security, or other payments, including payments set up to go direct from the Treasury directly into their bank account. If those are tampered with, or suffer indirect damage from ignoramuses tinkering, it could very quickly be disastrous.
Some people may also have concerns about automatic federal deductions they may have set up to be taken directly from their bank account, or their automatically deposited paycheck.
The Treasury has their bank account information in the system and access to those accounts. Is everything going normally? Is their security compromised? In theory, Musk could, I suppose, even be draining those accounts, or some of them. Nixon weaponized the IRS against "enemies," recall.
(I am wondering myself if I need to take some in-case actions, like Monday.)
And again, institutions can sometimes get info and exert pressure where you and I cannot. While financial institutions' own self-interest, and interest in overall public confidence in the system, should motivate them also.
Low-level bank employees and even branch managers may be completely unaware of this btw and may need to be provided with background.
Finally, anyone can do online research and share.
Unresearched question so far, for example, what is Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service Inc., where, who, what do they do and what is their relationship to the other listed organizations? Why would they be targeted?
If you are on Twitter, you might also follow the likes of Musk and Flynn and report anything that seems like a clue to the insides of what is happening, here or at BlueSky. Screenshots are best as they can't be disappeared.
Mentally fatigued at the moment and need to close out shortly, but a note: have slept much better since getting busy. That might work for others too.
If you made it this far, thanx for reading.
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ADDENDUM: Happened yesterday, but anyway one more Senator at least seems to she she understands the gravitas:
x
All of your most sensitive data and our country’s checkbook are in the hands of an unelected billionaire.
This is the most corrupt administration in history and it’s putting our economy & government in serious jeopardy.
It’s time to speak out and fight back.
www.nytimes.com/2025/02/01/u...
[image or embed]
— Senator Patty Murray (@murray.senate.gov) February 1, 2025 at 5:52 PM
I just wish "fight back" was more specific.
