Connecticut Attorney General William Tong said tech billionaire Elon Musk’s actions through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) are in “utter violation” of the Constitution and its Appointments Clause.
Tong joined CNN on Tuesday to discuss the lawsuit he and 19 other attorneys general filed against President Trump and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to stop DOGE officials from gaining access to Americans’ confidential records.
“This suit is about stopping Donald Trump from letting an unelected billionaire, Elon Musk, and his army of tech bro wannabe storm troopers from tearing up the federal government and accessing sensitive information,” Tong said.
Tong and other attorneys general also filed another lawsuit that is before Judge Tanya Chutkan in Washington, D.C., looking to argue that Musk is unconstitutionally grabbing power and skirting the Appointments Clause.
The Appointments Clause requires officials appointed by the president to be subject to the “consent of the Senate.” Several of Trump’s nominees have undergone intense scrutiny by senators and gone on to be approved for their role. The suit argues that no one elected Musk and Congress did not authorize the creation of DOGE or its efforts related to the federal government.
“In the Constitution, it says if you exercise significant authority, you’ve got to be confirmed … nominated by the president, but confirmed by the Senate,” Tong said. “That didn’t happen here.
“His appointment, his work, is in utter violation of the U.S. Constitution and the Appointments Clause,” he added.
Tong also noted that Musk is the owner of X, a major social media platform. He is able to control how and what information gets shared to the American people.
“You’ve got an unelected billionaire running amok with unchecked power over information that’s vital to states, private information that belongs to people in this country and will do great damage to the United States of America,” Tong said.
The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.
