Summary
Trump’s speech to Congress may have deepened legal troubles for Elon Musk and DOGE by publicly stating Musk runs the agency, contradicting White House claims that Amy Gleason is in charge.
The administration previously argued Musk, officially a “senior adviser,” has no formal authority over DOGE to shield it from lawsuits.
Judge Theodore Chuang already questioned this discrepancy, calling it “highly suspicious.”
Trump’s statement could trigger further legal scrutiny into Musk’s role in dismantling federal agencies and mass firings, undermining the White House’s defense against ongoing litigation.
Contempt of court for us normal people
Trump’s entire Presidency, this time around, is nothing but contempt for any institution that is not him. “L’État, c’est moi”. And Congress is letting it happen, because Republicans are more concerned with avoiding a Musk-funded primary challenge than with exercising their constitutional checks on the Presidency.
The Courts do not seem as eager to give up all their power yet. But they move slowly, and it has yet to be seen whether they can adequately enforce their rulings if the Executive Branch simply ignores them. The Administration is actively telling the courts what they want to hear in filings, while publicly saying something different. They hate that.
The Supreme Court may have given the President himself a shield against prosecution, but other officials are not (yet) covered similarly and an angry court can (and should) jail officials on (unpardonable) civil contempt charges until they take the courts seriously.