President Trump’s effusive praise of Elon Musk during his speech to Congress this week is already coming back to bite him, with one of his legal challengers saying he contradicted his own Justice Department’s assurances to a judge.
In court filings last month the White House described Mr. Musk as a senior adviser to Mr. Trump but not a part of the Department of Government Efficiency.
Mr. Trump, though, seems not to have a different view.
“I have created the brand new Department of Government Efficiency, DOGE. Perhaps you’ve heard of it. Perhaps. Which is headed by Elon Musk, who is in the gallery tonight,” Mr. Trump said.
Mr. Musk’s role is heatedly debated, and is a matter of some legal importance.
Joshua Fisher, the head of the White House administration office, told the court Mr. Musk is “not the U.S. DOGE Service administrator.”
SEE ALSO: Musk asks senators to codify DOGE cuts
Indeed, Mr. Musk isn’t even part of the DOGE and “has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions himself,” Mr. Fisher said.
Based on those assurances, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan last month refused to issue a temporary restraining order against Mr. Musk. She said the Democrat-led states challenging Mr. Musk hadn’t proved he was responsible for the ills they predicted from the DOGE’s actions.
The challenging states, in a new filing with Judge Chutkan, said Mr. Trump’s statement “is in conflict” with Mr. Fisher’s declaration to the court.
The states are urging Judge Chutkan to speed up legal discovery in their case.
