Elon Musk has been ordered to personally answer questions under oath about his role in a sweeping overhaul of a major U.S. government agency. A federal judge ruled that Musk cannot sidestep a deposition tied to a lawsuit over actions taken during his time leading the Department of Government Efficiency, a short-lived initiative that targeted federal spending and operations, including the dismantling of USAID.
Judge asks Elon Musk to sit for deposition
The decision was handed down by U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang, who wasn’t buying the arguments from Musk’s legal team aimed at keeping him away from being questioned. In an eight-page ruling issued Tuesday, the judge said Musk doesn’t clearly fit the bill of a top-tier government official who would be protected from questioning under what’s known as the “apex doctrine.”
At the heart of the case is Musk’s role with the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which he headed during President Donald Trump’s second term. The group was tasked with slashing what it saw as unnecessary government spending, and USAID quickly landed in the crosshairs. The lawsuit was brought by current and former USAID employees, who claim there were improper moves made during the agency’s unraveling.
Judge Chuang didn’t stop with Musk. He also greenlit depositions for former acting USAID head Peter Marocco and State Department official Jeremy Lewin. In his ruling, the judge pointed out that many of the figures tied to DOGE were working in temporary or loosely defined roles, which makes it harder to justify giving them the kind of legal shield usually reserved for long-standing, top-level officials.
What really tipped the scales was the lack of straight answers. Chuang noted that Musk and the other defendants hadn’t clearly explained key moves, like why USAID’s headquarters and website were taken offline. With so many unanswered questions and little paper trail, the judge said sworn testimony is the only way to get the full picture of who made those calls and how they went down.
