'Completely insane': MAGA fan mocked for flipping out as NYT identifies DOGE staffers

The New York Times has identified 45 individuals working in the so-called Department of Government Efficiency formed by Elon Musk with Donald Trump's blessing.

The quasi-government advisory board has recommended sweeping cuts to federal agencies and tossed thousands of federal employees out of their jobs after Trump established DOGE through an Inauguration Day executive order, but the group's leadership structure and staffing remains murky enough that White House Press Secretary Katherine Leavitt was reluctant to reveal the top official in charge.

That turned out to be veteran federal employee Amy Gleason, although Leavitt was unsure how long she'd been in the position.

Longtime conservative commentator Byron York was mocked for complaining the Times had outed the mostly inexperienced members of Musk's team.

"The so-called New York Times outs 45 people working for DOGE," he complained on X.

The flak his comment received was immediate.

"Hate when the newspaper 'outs' White House employees," said researcher Tyson Brody.

"It’s called journalism," posted David Corn, D.C. bureau chief for Mother Jones. "These are not classified government workers. They have no right to secrecy as they work — supposedly — for the American public. Why would you want DOGE in the shadows?"

"It's bizarre to me that some conservatives suddenly think that reporting on publicly-funded employees is doxing," said Reason reporter Billy Binion. "That is snowflakery. If Biden had created a new agency & refused to say who was working in it, the right would've (justifiably) been pissed. You don't get to work a taxpayer-funded job with considerable influence over the federal government & operate in secrecy."

"After eight years of warning about the deep state, pro-Trump conservatives are *literally* defending the existence of an anonymous, unaccountable, secret org controlling the spending power of the federal govt. And upset about transparency," added journalist Isaac Saul. "Just totally, completely insane."

The Times identified nearly 50 individuals, many of whom are young men with backgrounds in engineering or artificial intelligence, and noted that some of them had recently deleted their social media profiles when their names appeared in news reports.

In addition to Musk and Gleason, the newspaper reported that Steve Davis, a close aide to the tech mogul for more than two decades, effectively served as the leader of DOGE, while health care entrepreneur Brad Smith essentially functioned as its chief of staff.

Others named as DOGE employees are real estate manager Nicole Hollander, who followed Davis, into the federal government after working with Musk after he bought Twitter and is now responsible for assessing federal buildings and leases through the General Services Administration, and Leland Dudek, a mid-level manager at the Social Security Administration who was suddenly elevated this month as its acting commissioner.

Software engineer Gavin Kliger has been installed in various roles throughout the government, where he's gained access to highly sensitive data despite the concerns of officials in the Office of Personnel Management, United States Agency for International Development andInternal Revenue Service.

"The Times attempted to contact each DOGE staffer on this list through a combination of verified email addresses and social media accounts," the newspaper added in an article crediting 15 reporters by name, as well as two additional journalists who contributed. "For those without known contact information, Times reporters tried to reach them by sending emails to a name and address pattern consistent with other known email addresses. No one returned the Times’s requests for comment."