DOGE staffer who resigned over 'normalize Indian hate' post, gains access to sensitive HR data

UPDATED: Apr 2, 2025 15:52 IST

Marko Elez, a former Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer who resigned in February over racist social media posts, has been reinstated with expanded access to sensitive government data.

According to recent court filings, Elez, a 25-year-old software engineer, now holds positions within the Department of Labor, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and other federal agencies.

Due to this, Elez has gained access to private information. Elez's reinstatement came to light after a lawsuit was filed by labor unions and advocacy groups demanding transparency about DOGE staffers and their activities, the New York Post reported.

In response to the lawsuit, Justice Department trial attorney Brad Humphreys wrote, "Elez was granted read-only access to the above-listed systems in furtherance of the DOGE EO’s directive to identify waste, fraud, and abuse and to modernize government technology and software to increase efficiency and productivity."

Elez initially resigned after The Wall Street Journal exposed his connection to a now-deleted social media account on X (formerly Twitter). The account featured posts such as "I was racist before it was cool" and "You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity."

In September, it also shared the inflammatory statement "Normalize Indian hate." This sparked particular controversy given that Usha Vance, the wife of Vice President JD Vance, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Despite the backlash, Vice President Vance publicly defended Elez on X, arguing against the consequences of his online behavior. “I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life,” Vance stated, blaming “journalists who try to destroy people” for the fallout.

Elez’s reinstatement and expanded access to sensitive data have raised questions about accountability within federal agencies, as well as the influence of political figures in personnel decisions.