DOGE breach of US Treasury data may harm CIA intelligence assets, officials warn
February 8, 2025 13 Comments
UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS have raised concerns that allowing Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE) access to Treasury Department databases could expose human intelligence assets operating abroad. On January 31, newly installed Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent gave two DoGE employees, Tom Krause and Marko Elez, read-only access to the Treasury Department’s payment system. Elez, 25, subsequently resigned from DoGE, following allegations that he had authored a series of racist tweets. However, last Friday Musk announced on X that he would rehire Elez.
According to The Washington Post, a senior Treasury employee filed a memorandum to Secretary Bessent, warning that any form of access to the department’s payment system by DoGE employees would “pose an unprecedented insider threat risk” to government secrets. The memo reportedly focused specifically on payments made by Treasury to human intelligence sources, which are typically recruited and handled abroad by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), and other agencies of the United States Intelligence Community. Such payments are made to foreign assets who collect intelligence on behalf of American agencies, or Americans who work in an intelligence capacity without the use of diplomatic cover.
According to Newsweek, which followed up on the story, the memo noted that the Treasury Department employs several methods to disguise payments made to human intelligence sources. However, these methods remain vulnerable to detection by “people with the requisite know-how”, which would allow these assets to be identified and could place their lives in danger. As a result, DoGE’s access to the classified database posed an “unprecedented insider threat risk”, according to the memo. It advised Secretary Bessent to “suspend [DoGE’s] access immediately and conducting a comprehensive review of all actions [DoGE employees] may have taken on these systems”.
On Saturday a federal judge in the district of Manhattan issued a preliminary injunction that bars DoGE from accessing any Treasury Department databases that contain personally identifiable information. The injunction also instructs DoGE personnel to surrender back to Treasury all information they have obtained so far. A hearing to decide the next steps in the case is due to occur on February 14.
► Author: Joseph Fitsanakis | Date: 08 February 2025 | Permalink
intelNews.org 
This is somewhat of a surprise that some/all of our intel agencies may have left such a large loophole, that obviously needs to be addressed.
If these systems are so vulnerable that Americans looking at them risks the lives of CIA assets, what are the chances that China, Russia, and Iran haven’t already looked at them?
Maybe we shouldn’t have systems like this in place if they are too dangerous for oversight to occur.
This is more to do with Deep State Actors & Politics, then the truth. Anyone who has worked in intelligence knows good and well how the system works. Assets are given code names, and only those with a need to know, can put together what they are attempting to claim. The reason the election turned the way it did, is the voters wanted accountability. They are playing into Trumps hands…
There was no “breach” of the database. The men were given permission by appropriate authorities.
Literally why nobody trusts the news media anymore.
DOGE “breach”, really ?
The “insider threat” that “a senior Treasury employee filed” was actually a subcontractor for Booz Allen, who filed a draft report, and was immediately fired for it because they basically used it to express their political bias against the Trump administration.
So much for reporting.
@Anonymous: Read the WaPo report carefully, not just the first couple of paragraphs. The concern was expressed by “a high-ranking career official at Treasury also raised the issue of risks from DOGE access in a memo to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, including the potential breach of information that could lead to exposure of U.S. spies abroad”. [JF]
This article writes “a senior Treasury employee filed a memorandum to Secretary Bessent, warning that any form of access to the department’s payment system by DoGE employees would “pose an unprecedented insider threat risk” to government secrets.”
Here’s what Bloomberg had to say .. “(Bloomberg) — The government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton on Friday night said it had dismissed a subcontractor who prepared a draft report saying that Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency access to the Treasury’s payment system poses an “unprecedented insider threat risk” and should be suspended immediately.
“The draft report was prepared by a subcontractor to Booz Allen and contained unauthorized personal opinions that are not factual or consistent with our standards,” the company said in a statement hours after news organizations published accounts of the draft report. “The subcontractor has been removed from his position and we are seeking to have the report amended or retracted.”
Who is “QAnonymous” ?
https://www.yahoo.com/news/treasury-warned-insider-threat-risk-005911245.html
@Anonymous: Again, you are referring to two different cases. The contractor had nothing to do with the concern about foreign intelligence assets. Also, your quote deliberately omits the part about “including the potential breach of information that could lead to exposure of U.S. spies abroad”, which is at the heart of the report. We all make mistakes, but don’t pretend to be confused on purpose just to safe face. [JF]
You’re talking about This part of what Wapo wrote ?
“In a separate communication a week ago, a high-ranking career official at Treasury also raised the issue of risks from DOGE access in a memo to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, including the potential breach of information that could lead to exposure of U.S. spies abroad, according to five people with knowledge of the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to reflect government deliberations. The memo included recommendations to mitigate risks, which Bessent approved, said another person familiar with the matter, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity.”
So we’re supposed to believe that “according to five people with knowledge of the matter”, none of whom were willing to speak on the record, that “a high-ranking career official at Treasury” said … ? And then corroborated by “another person familiar with the matter” ?
Where is this memo, what did it say ? Who is this “high ranking official” ? Who are these five people ? Who is this “another person familiar with the matter” ?
It wasn’t that long ago that “51 intelligence officials” swore in a signed statement that the Hunter Biden laptop story was Russian disinformation. Sorry if I’m just not that trusting of Wapo claiming anonymous “high ranking official” thinks DOGE is a security risk to intelligence assets without actual sources, just not that in a trusting mood these days.
Anonymous: You keep moving the goalpost, but OK. At least I hope you can appreciate the irony of posting anonymously while calling into question the WaPo’s anonymous sources. [JF]
Anyone who thinks that this action by DOGE is somehow legitimate is seriously deluded. None of these Musketeers have appropriate clearances and are simply hackers. They’ve used Gmail to communicate – one of the most insecure communication systems out there.
begun the faction wars have
So a CIA director installed by Trump is now fighting to stop the Musk youth from sucking down treasury data?
It would have been better if agencies did not place informant details on electronic databases in the first place. Hardcopy paper records are much harder to hack by external actors or by insiders, like Snowden.