The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has reportedly pushed back against probes from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
DOGE has requested access to a range of data from the SEC, including personnel records, emails, contracts, and information on payment systems.
These investigations by the newly formed department have often occurred, as US President Donald Trump looks to scrutinise departmental spending and operations, an initiative reportedly suggested to him by Elon Musk.
However, as with many of these recent probes, the SEC’s leadership has pushed back, according to Bloomberg. While details of what caused the friction aren’t clear, similar cases have revolved around the sensitivity of the data requested by the department.
Mark Uyeda has led as interim SEC Chair since January, but will be moving over shortly for Paul Atkins, who was recently approved by the Senate.
It was only a matter of time before DOGE turned its attention to the SEC, teasing the investigations in February by creating an account on X called ‘DOGE SEC’.
The account has only posted once since its launch, asking followers to message the account “with insights on finding and fixing waste, fraud and abuse relating to the Securities and Exchange Commission”.
Its lack of activity could suggest a shift in strategy from the new department, which has faced significant criticism since being established. Musk has been a key figure in this criticism, with many pointing to his potential conflict of interest.
As a result, Musk has begun to distance himself slightly from the department and DOGE has operated more quietly than before. For example, when the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau briefly suspended all operations following DOGE orders, Musk posted on X: “CFPB RIP.”
Nevertheless, the DOGE team at the SEC is currently led by former Kalshi executive Eliezer Mishory. With regulators increasingly focused on Mishory’s former employer and its partner Robinhood, new conflict of interest concerns may soon emerge.
