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Three senators are calling on the Department of Justice (DOJ) and federal watchdogs to investigate whether U.S. DOGE Service aides tasked with downsizing government agencies violated conflict-of-interest laws by holding stocks in companies overseen by thes, according to a recent ProPublica report.
The request — sent last week by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jack Reed (D-R.I.) — follows a ProPublica investigation into DOGE officials assigned to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB).
That includes one aide who is accused of holding as much as $715,000 in restricted stocks while playing a central role in laying off nearly 90% of the agency’s staff.
“These cases underscore what appears to be a pervasive problem with Elon Musk and DOGE employees trampling ethics rules and laws to benefit their own pockets at the expense of the American public,” the senators wrote to Attorney General Pam Bondi, the Office of Government Ethics, and inspectors general at the CFPB, Department of the Treasury and IRS, according to ProPublica.
The lawmakers requested a full review of the financial holdings of DOGE aides, any divestment steps taken and their roles in agency decisions.
The letter referenced ProPublica’s reporting on Gavin Kliger, a 25-year-old DOGE software engineer who was warned by CFPB ethics officials that his stock holdings posed a conflict.
Despite the warning, Kliger proceeded to help implement mass layoffs at the agency.
A legal expert told ProPublica that Kliger’s actions appear to be a “pretty clear-cut violation” of federal law. Neither the DOJ, CFPB, Treasury, IRS or DOGE responded to ProPublica’s requests for comment.
Kliger reportedly did not respond to inquiries while the White House has dismissed the allegations — calling them “another attempt to diminish DOGE’s critical mission” while also claiming that Kliger “did not even manage” the layoffs.
DOGE has faced growing scrutiny for blurring lines between private business and federal governance. Musk announced his resignation from the administration last week.
