On February 1st, Elon Musk, an unelected official from a foreign country, instituted a hostile takeover of the computer systems of the United States Treasury. He and 6 young men without security clearance, oversight, or credentials locked out legitimate career officials and gained access to taxpayer and sensitive financial information in the largest security breach in U.S. history. The systems involved store sensitive information—including SSN, address, and DOB—for every American who has received income tax refunds or COVID stimulus checks, or has worked for the federal government. This is a blatantly illegal act, and an act of treason that puts the financial information of nearly every American in the hands of the world’s richest man.

Musk’s intent appears to be the illegal and immediate impoundment of monies appropriated by Congress. This impoundment will likely shutter Medicaid, veterans’ programs, social security, and other programs widely supported by the American people and approved by their elected officials. These decisions are being made illegally and unilaterally by a private citizen who has gone through no congressional confirmation process and no input from the American people. This is not a political issue; every U.S. citizen, regardless of party affiliation, is affected by Musk’s flagrant violation of the rule of law, endangerment of sensitive personal and financial data, and subversion of democratic will.

President Trump: the American people lawfully elected you as president—a position that Elon Musk, as an immigrant from a foreign country, cannot constitutionally hold. Yet contrary to the will of our founders and the best interests of national security, Musk has emerged as a shadow-president unelected by the American people, and is instituting his will across the U.S. government without oversight and in flagrant violation of federal law. We the American people did not consent to his involvement in your administration, and certainly not to the actions he has taken which endanger our security and economic stability. There are few responses that are strong or rapid enough to counter the extreme acts Musk has taken against the American people; only you can take the decisive and immediate action needed in response to this act of hostility. We implore you to take swift action to investigate the security breach and immediately remove Elon Musk from any further role in your administration. 

Sincerely,

The American People