Voz media US Voz.us

Letitia James and 11 other state attorneys general to sue Elon Musk and DOGE's for access to federal government systems

According to these prosecutors, the Department of Government Efficiency created by the Trump administration is "illegal" for attempting to access sensitive information and payment systems.

U.S. Attorney Letitia James, in a file image

U.S. Attorney Letitia James, in a file imageAFP / Adam Gray

Emmanuel Alejandro Rondón

New York Attorney General Letitia James and 11 other state attorneys general will pursue a lawsuit for Elon Musk's and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) "illegal" access to the government payment systems.

"In the past week, the U.S. Department of the Treasury has given Elon Musk access to Americans personal private information, state bank account data, and other information that is some of our country's most sensitive data," prosecutors said in a statement.

"In defense of our Constitution, our right to privacy, and the essential funding that individuals and communities nationwide are counting on, we will be filing a lawsuit to stop this injustice," they continued.

According to the attorneys general, this DOGE-led cost-cutting initiative has allowed Musk's young advisors to access to the federal government's most critical computer systems. This situation that has sent shockwaves through Washington as employees demand access to sensitive information networks.

"As the richest man in the world, Elon Musk is not used to being told 'no,' but in our country, no one is above the law. The president does not have the power to give away our private information to anyone he chooses, and he cannot cut federal payments approved by Congress," the prosecutors said.

They added: "This level of access for unauthorized individuals is unlawful, unprecedented, and unacceptable. DOGE has no authority to access this information, which they explicitly sought in order to block critical payments that millions of Americans rely on-payments that support health care, childcare, and other essential programs."

For this prosecution, James is being joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, Rhode Island and Vermont.

James' war against Trump

The New York attorney general also led a coalition of 18 states to challenge Trump's executive order seeking to eliminate birthright citizenship. James has also told hospitals in her state that complying with an executive order from the president to end sex-change operations on young people could violate state law.

All of these cases represent a new legal tussle between James and President Trump, who last year was found liable and ordered to pay more than $450 million for inflating and manipulating the value of his real estate portfolio following a lawsuit filed by James herself.

Now, James is in the crosshairs of a new task force called the Weaponization Working Group, formed at the Department of Justice and announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi. This initiative will be charged with reviewing the activities of all police-judicial agencies over the past four years to identify instances of "politicized justice."
tracking