President Donald Trump’s interim U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia published a letter to Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) employees on Friday, vowing to take action against anyone who threatens them.
“Thank you for the referral of individuals and networks who appear to be stealing government property and/or threatening government employees,” attorney Ed Martin wrote in the letter. “After your referral, as is my practice, I will begin an inquiry.”
“Please let me reiterate again: If people are discovered to have broken the law or even acted simply unethically, we will investigate them and we will chase them to the end of the Earth to hold them accountable,” Martin continued (emphasis original). “We will not rest or cease in this. No one should abuse American taxpayer dollars nor American taxpayer workers. [No one] is above the Law.”
Follow up.
Sent only via X: to @elonmusk pic.twitter.com/FVO7pDFf3Q— Ed Martin (@EagleEdMartin) February 7, 2025
The letter on Friday comes after Martin sent a similar letter to Musk on Monday after meeting with the DOGE team over the weekend.
“I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly,” Martin wrote in the earlier letter. “At this time, I ask that you utilize me and my staff to assist in protecting the DOGE work and the DOGE workers. Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws.”
In that letter, Martin assured Musk that he would “pursue any and all legal action against anyone who impedes your work or threatens your people.” He also added that he would “not act like the previous administration who looked the other way as the Antifa and BLM rioters as well as thugs with guns trashed our capital city.”
Dear @elon, Please see this important letter. We will not tolerate threats against DOGE workers or law-breaking by the disgruntled. All the best. Ed Martin pic.twitter.com/jIgMPVbPT5
— Ed Martin (@EagleEdMartin) February 3, 2025
The first letter was met with backlash from various organizations, including the ACLU-District of Columbia.” The ACLU-DC sent a letter to Martin saying that he could “prosecute unlawful threats” but couldn’t “use the power of the State to punish or suppress disfavored expression.”
The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE), along with other organizations, also sent a letter to Martin raising concerns about his vows to punish those who work against DOGE.
“Threatening to prosecute First Amendment speech and activity is not only at odds with the U.S. Constitution, it is also entirely inconsistent with Musk’s own stated principles and the right of the American people to know what the government is up to,” FIRE wrote.
