Trump Administration Admits to Unauthorized Data Access by DOGE Members

WOODLAWN, MD — In a significant reversal of previous legal claims, the Trump administration has filed a notice of corrections in Maryland Federal Court admitting that members of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) accessed and retained sensitive Social Security Administration data. These court documents show that DOGE personnel, including employees associated with Elon Musk, bypassed traditional protections to obtain personally identifiable information. The filing reveals a March 2025 incident where a DOGE team member signed a voter data agreement with an unnamed political advocacy group. This group expressed a specific intent to analyze voter rolls to overturn election results in certain states. While the government claims the employee acted without official approval, they've been unable to confirm if the sensitive data was actually transmitted to the political organization. It’s a sharp departure from the administration’s previous stance that DOGE was strictly focused on rooting out waste and fraud. Federal officials found the behavior of these team members so concerning that they referred them for prosecution in December 2025. These referrals involve potential violations of the Hatch Act, which bars federal employees from engaging in partisan political activities while on duty. It's currently unknown if the Department of Justice intends to move forward with any formal charges related to these referrals. According to the record, sensitive data was also emailed to Steve Davis, a long time Musk lieutenant who managed DOGE operations until May. The encrypted file contained names and addresses for roughly 1,000 people. This transfer has drawn scrutiny under the Privacy Act of 1974, a law that strictly regulates how government agencies share citizen information with outside parties. The administration maintains that no violation occurred because the file was encrypted, though plaintiffs argue Davis was not an authorized recipient. These admissions come ten months after the administration certified to a judge that they had revoked DOGE's access to Social Security systems. The new filing confirms that searches were still being conducted four days after a temporary restraining order was issued in March 2025. The AFL-CIO, the lead plaintiff in the case, has successfully petitioned to have these new admissions included in the record currently before the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. ------------------------------ At Cleveland 13 News, we strive to provide accurate, up-to-date, and reliable reporting. If you spot an error, omission, or have information that may need updating, please email us at <a href="mailto:tips@cleveland13news.com">tips@cleveland13news.com</a>. As a community-driven news network, we appreciate the help of our readers in ensuring the integrity of our reporting.