Ethan Carter
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), named after an internet meme featuring a shiba inu, disguises its significant detrimental impact behind a façade of humor. While it may seem trivial, DOGE has emerged as one of the most harmful government initiatives in contemporary times.
Since its inception, the DOGE team has positioned itself as a powerful force against various aspects of the federal government, acting as a sledgehammer for the administration’s agenda. Promoted as a tool to eliminate waste, fraud, and abuse, in reality, DOGE has functioned as a weapon for Trump, leading to the dismissal of tens of thousands of federal employees. This initiative also slashed humanitarian aid worldwide, contributing to hundreds of thousands of preventable deaths, with the potential for many more. DOGE mishandled sensitive private data of Americans, which triggered multiple congressional investigations, investigations that many other federal agencies under the administration have refused to support.
In 2025, a startling incident occurred when an employee at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) noticed that DOGE had apparently compromised his agency’s data. This employee, Dan Berulis, discovered unauthorized access attempts originating from a Russian IP address. The NLRB had not granted DOGE permission to access this data, nor had DOGE even requested it. Faced with the dilemma of protecting his agency’s integrity, Berulis decided to risk his career by preparing a whistleblower complaint for Congress. Little did he know that exposing DOGE would endanger much more than just his job.
Following the filing of his complaint, Berulis shared his concerns publicly through an exclusive NPR article, revealing his identity. During the interview, he disclosed that a threatening note had been left on his door, accompanied by drone photographs capturing him walking his dog. As reported by WIRED, these claims surfaced amid a defamation lawsuit Berulis initiated against Elon Musk in April of the same year, which has recently entered the public domain.
Just two days after the NPR article was published, on the evening of April 19, 2025, Musk reshared a post on X that accused Berulis of filing a “deliberately false whistleblower claim.” Berulis argues that this baseless allegation from the wealthiest individual on the planet, who has over a quarter-billion followers on the social media platform he owns, effectively placed a target on his back. He cites a chilling event that occurred just hours after Musk’s reshare on X.
The following day, while driving to visit a family member, Berulis sensed something was amiss. As he approached a stop sign, he found himself unable to decelerate, leading him to veer off the road and crash into the sign to avert a multi-car accident. Upon inspecting his vehicle, he was horrified to discover that his brake lines had been intentionally severed.
Initially, Berulis took some time to connect Musk’s repost with his unsettling accident and the threatening note he had received. Upon making that connection, he felt unsafe in his own home, prompting him to seek refuge in a hotel before ultimately terminating his lease shortly thereafter.
As Berulis recounted to WIRED, the brake lines were likely tampered with “while the car was parked in the driveway of my house. The note arrived at the house… I didn’t feel safe there at all. I never stayed at that address again.”
Berulis’ ongoing defamation lawsuit has made him aware that pursuing legal action feels like “kicking the hornet’s nest,” potentially placing him back in the sights of Musk’s most fervent supporters. Despite the risks and the odds against him in court due to the “asymmetry” of power, Berulis hopes that the proceedings will shed light on the damage caused by DOGE and Musk’s involvement in it.
Daniel Mercer
