In a blistering development that escalates an already volatile power struggle in Washington, CNN analyst and former Obama adviser Van Jones has called on President Donald Trump to fire, investigate, and prosecute Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staff. The remarks, made Thursday night during a segment with Anderson Cooper, marked a major escalation in the public and political unraveling of one of the Trump administration’s most controversial partnerships.
The fallout from the now-viral rift between Trump and Musk over the so-called “Big Beautiful Bill” — Trump’s centerpiece $1.6 trillion spending cut and tax reform package — has exploded into a crisis of trust, governance, and potential national security risks.
Jones warned of potential legal and ethical breaches by DOGE staffers, stating bluntly:
“They’re very dangerous. If Donald Trump is smart, the first thing he’s going to do is fire, investigate and prosecute all of Elon’s people… A lot of them don’t have the proper clearances.”
Citing unverified concerns about data access and server uploads, Jones echoed growing bipartisan unease surrounding DOGE’s reach — especially into sensitive data streams, like IRS taxpayer information.
What began as a tech-driven initiative aimed at streamlining government operations has now devolved into a national controversy. In recent weeks, numerous DOGE-affiliated staffers have resigned, reportedly in protest of Musk’s internal slashing of agency programs and personnel. Critics describe DOGE as a Trojan horse — a private-sector experiment gone too far, now tangled in accusations of data overreach, security risks, and shadow policymaking.
Van Jones suggests that Trump should prosecute DOGE employees: If Donald Trump is smart, the first thing he’s going to do is fire, investigate and prosecute all of Elon’s people who are all throughout government with their laptops downloading data right now pic.twitter.com/wQSq3zu9Uw
— Acyn (@Acyn) June 6, 2025
Multiple lawsuits are already pending regarding DOGE’s efforts to access both public and internal federal databases. The concerns are no longer theoretical — they’re structural, raising red flags across the intelligence and civil service communities.
President Trump, who once praised Musk as a “visionary” and brought him into his second-term orbit to “reinvent” government operations, has now turned on the billionaire tech magnate. On Truth Social, Trump declared:
“I don’t mind Elon turning against me, but he should have done so months ago… If this Bill doesn’t pass, there will be a 68% Tax Increase, and things far worse than that.”
The president’s frustration stems from Musk’s very public rejection of the spending bill. On X, Musk blasted the legislation as “the Debt Slavery Bill,” signaling a break with Trump over fiscal policy and reigniting conservative fears of unchecked government spending.
But behind the scenes, the breaking point may have been DOGE’s collapse. Musk’s abrupt departure from Washington has left the agency’s future in limbo, with the White House expected to review all DOGE-linked clearances, systems access, and active projects.
Former Obama adviser David Axelrod, speaking on CNN, suggested both men were using each other — until the alliance became unsustainable. “Trump is not a sentimentalist,” he said. “He uses everybody. But I think Musk used him too.”
Axelrod also noted that Tesla lost 14% of its market value Thursday alone, potentially as a consequence of Musk’s scorched-earth clash with the administration.
