The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is in full swing following President Donald Trump’s inauguration. The department, led by Elon Musk, has spent the last few weeks slashing federal spending. It is estimated that the force has saved over $1 billion so far after cutting diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) contracts.
However, DOGE has been met with backlash from opposition to their actions. Some have pointed out the irony of Musk running the department, despite no public election. Notably, a judge has temporarily blocked the team from accessing treasury records.
In recent days, a staffer from DOGE has also made headlines. The Wall Street Journal uncovered racist statements from Marko Elez, a 25-year-old DOGE staffer. Elez is a former employee of both Starlink and SpaceX, and he followed Elon over to DOGE after the new administration took office.
“Normalize Indian hate,” one of his posts read.
All of his posts have since been deleted, however, an immense amount of damage has been done to both DOGE’s and Elez’s reputation.
“You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity,” Elez said in September.
The staffer soon resigned, and the situation blew up on social media. A heated debate ensued, causing some to come support Elez while others expressed their disapproval of his very recent racist comments. The entire situation has been divisive.
As a response to the controversy, Musk created a poll on X asking if the hire should be brought back — in true Pollice verso Colosseum fashion. 78% of respondents agreed that Elez should be brought back.
Both President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance have said that the staffer should return to DOGE to work.
“Here’s my view: I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life. We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever,” Vance wrote on X. “So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”
Trump echoed these sentiments, agreeing with Vance.
“I’m with the vice president,” Trump said.
Musk then reposted Vance’s post, with Vance urging Musk to bring Elez back onto the DOGE team.
“He will be brought back. To err is human, to forgive divine,” Musk wrote on X.
There is no confirmation that Elez has officially been hired back, despite Musk’s tweet.
This situation has been heated, with many on the left attacking Vance for his forgiveness. Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) took to X to challenge Vance. Vance is married to Usha Vance, an Indian American born to immigrant parents.
“Are you going to tell him to apologize for saying ‘Normalize Indian hate’ before this rehire? Just asking for the sake of both of our kids,” Khanna asked.
This situation brings forward some important questions. Should you forgive someone despite their past comments? Who do you give a second chance to? What actions are forgivable?
Above all, this is a lesson in keeping a clean digital footprint. You never know who will find your past activity.
