White House in turmoil as Elon Musk's exit sparks DOGE chaos: 19-year-old resigns amid scandals, AI push, & cyber ties
Edward Coristine, a 19-year-old employee of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has officially resigned, according to Reuters citing a White House source. His exit follows the departure of Elon Musk, who stepped down as DOGE Chief in May. Coristine, often referred to by his online nickname 'Big Balls', had not responded to media queries at the time of the report.
No additional details were shared by the White House regarding the reason for his resignation. The development was first reported by Wired.
DOGE faces internal shake-up after leadership changes
Coristine's resignation is the latest in a growing list of exits from DOGE since Musk's departure. Previously, Steve Davis, Musk's deputy and the person overseeing DOGE's day-to-day operations, had also resigned. While the White House has maintained that DOGE's mission 'will continue,' multiple personnel changes have raised questions about the department's long-term direction.
Reports suggest that DOGE has faced instability since Musk left, with several other unnamed officials also stepping away from their roles.
Coristine's past activities resurface amid exit
Before joining DOGE, Coristine worked at Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain interface startup. He joined the newly formed government body earlier this year when it was launched by President Donald Trump. Coristine's online alias gained widespread attention during DOGE's aggressive cost-cutting campaign, which included large-scale federal job reductions.
In May, Reuters reported that Coristine and fellow DOGE staffer Kyle Schutt were advocating for the integration of Elon Musk's AI platform Grok, developed by xAI, into federal systems.
However, scrutiny of Coristine's background increased in April, when Democratic lawmakers on the House Oversight Committee highlighted past allegations. These included providing tech support to cybercriminals, boasting about involvement in stolen data trade, and harassment of an FBI agent. His prior activity in hacker-associated chat rooms had previously led to termination from another job following a data leak allegation.
These revelations prompted calls from lawmakers for a full investigation into DOGE's staffing procedures.As key figures exit DOGE and past controversies resurface, the department's stability and future remain under watchful public and political eyes.
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