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Fact-check analysisUpdated October 9, 2026Curated by FactVerifyPrimary Source Verified
True

DOJ reveals two members of Elon Musk’s DOGE team working inside the Social Security Administration were secretly communicating with an advocacy group pushing to overturn election results in certain states.

Official Department of Justice court filings confirmed that members of the Department of Government Efficiency team stationed at the Social Security Administration communicated with an advocacy group seeking assistance with state voter rolls.

Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals

Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals

Source: theguardian.com

At a glance

Key Evidence

Verified October 9, 2026

  • Department of Justice court filings disclosed that members of the Department of Government Efficiency team communicated with an outside political group.

  • The advocacy group contacted the embedded personnel to request help analyzing state voter rolls.

  • The disclosures prompted further legal requests for discovery regarding federal data handling.

The reporting

What the Evidence Shows

Federal court filings submitted by the Department of Justice revealed that individuals embedded within the Social Security Administration as part of the Department of Government Efficiency team engaged with an outside advocacy organization. According to reports from FedScoop, the documents showed that two members of the team were in contact with an entity that focused on challenging election results and analyzing state voter data.fedscoop.comfedscoop.comDOGE likely violated order on Social Security data, court filing showsBased on investigative reports and reporting from specialized outlets like FedScoop Context and Core Controversy The Underlying Litigation: Beginning in early 2025, labor organizations (such as the AFL-CIO) and retiree advocacy groups...

Additional reporting from The Guardian and Nextgov detailed that the communications involved requests for assistance regarding voter rolls, which subsequently led to legal scrutiny and potential Hatch Act referrals for the officials involved.theguardian.comtheguardian.comDoge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing revealsBased on official court filings and extensive reporting from major news outlets, the core claim is verified as accurate SSA) concerning the activities of Elon Musk’s "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE) team inside the Social... Legal organizations such as Democracy Forward pointed to these disclosures in court documents to request further discovery and investigate potential violations of data-sharing orders and federal administrative guidelines.democracyforward.orgdemocracyforward.orgIn New Court Filing Democracy Forward Asks Court to Order Discovery Depositions...Context and Core Controversy The Underlying Litigation: Beginning in early 2025, labor organizations (such as the AFL-CIO) and retiree advocacy groups filed lawsuits against the Social Security Administration (SSA) to block and restrict...+1 more

Primary trail

Verified Sources5

DOGE likely violated order on Social Security data, court filing showsPrimary Source Extraction

fedscoop.com
Open source
Verified Document Excerpts
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states."
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals Trump administration acknowledges that Elon Musk’s cost-cutting operation accessed Americans’ sensitive data After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data."
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals The Social Security Administration (SSA) told the court it had no prior knowledge of the March agreement and only discovered it during an unrelated review in November. The agency has referred two potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity, to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation."

In New Court Filing Democracy Forward Asks Court to Order Discovery Depositions...

democracyforward.org
Open source

Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing revealsPrimary Source Extraction

theguardian.com
Open source
Verified Document Excerpts
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals The justice department court filing, submitted on Friday in an ongoing lawsuit, reveals that a member of the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge) signed a secret data-sharing agreement with an unidentified political advocacy group whose stated aim was to find evidence of voter fraud and overturn election results in certain states."
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals Trump administration acknowledges that Elon Musk’s cost-cutting operation accessed Americans’ sensitive data After months of denials, the Trump administration has acknowledged in a federal court filing that employees working for Elon Musk’s supposed cost-cutting operation accessed and improperly shared Americans’ sensitive social security data."
"Heading: Doge improperly shared sensitive social security data, DoJ court filing reveals The Social Security Administration (SSA) told the court it had no prior knowledge of the March agreement and only discovered it during an unrelated review in November. The agency has referred two potential violations of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in political activity, to the Office of Special Counsel for investigation."
Transparency

Revision history

  1. Version 2October 9, 2026

    The verdict changed from Mostly True to True because official Department of Justice court filings and extensive follow-up reporting fully substantiated the core claims regarding DOGE personnel communicating with an advocacy group concerning voter rolls and facing legal scrutiny.

    Mostly True → True
  2. Version 1January 21, 2026

    Initial published version

    Mostly True
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