6 days ago
Elon Musk's DOGE nerd army left 'drugs, graffiti, roaches and rats' behind after taking over Institute of Peace
A group of bureaucrats at the Institute of Peace claim their building was ravaged by billionaire Elon Musk 's DOGE agents.
George E. Moose, acting president and CEO of the institute, filed an affidavit testifying that employees found it damaged when they returned after DOGE took it over.
A photograph of marijuana was posted by Economist reporter Daniel Knowles on the Bluesky social media platform. He said it was provided to him by someone from the institute who found it in the garbage after DOGE left.
'Among other things, they reported evidence of rats and roaches in the building. Vermin were not a problem prior to March 17, 2025,' Moose wrote, adding that employees also discovered 'water leaks, damage to the garage door, and missing ceiling tiles in multiple places in the building.'
He also reported evidence that 'someone had scrawled graffiti on one of the outside spaces.'
Social media posts showed that the building logo was also removed, but was put back up after officials returned.
'One of the first things DOGE did upon entering the U.S. Institute of Peace was tear down the logo. . . .and one of the first things we did upon recovering the building, was put it back up. It is a heck of a logo, packing a ton of history, culture, and aspiration into a small symbol. Hopefully the institute survives to continue to bring all that to life,' wrote Keith Mines on LinkedIn.
The White House did not return a request for comment.
The Institute of Peace was founded as an independent, national institution funded by Congress and was established in 1984.
The battle over the Institute of Peace is considered one of the most dramatic attempts by DOGE to take control of an organization.
Entrenched employees refused to leave the building when ordered to do so.
President Trump first signed an executive order that specifically ordered the Institute of Peace reduce its size to the statutory minimum, prompting his administration to fire 11 of the 14 board members.
The remaining board members appointed Kenneth Jackson acting president and fired Moose.
When agency officials refused to grant DOGE officials access to the building, they returned with FBI agents to gain entry.
The White House condemned behavior by Institute of Peace employees after the standoff, describing them as 'rogue bureaucrats.'
'They barricaded the doors. They also disabled telephone lines, internet connections and other IT infrastructure within the building. They distributed fliers internally, encouraging each other to basically prevent these individuals from accessing the building,' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said at the time.
'It's a resistance from bureaucrats who don't want to see change in this city. President Trump was elected on an overwhelming mandate to seek change and implement change. And this is unacceptable behavior.'
DOGE employees said the standoff with the Institute of Peace was among the most contentious of its fights with Washington bureaucracy.
'It was by far the least peaceful agency that we've worked with, ironically,' one DOGE agent told Fox News host Jesse Watters in an interview, revealing they found 'loaded guns' in the building.
DOGE employees told Fox News they found spending on private jet flights, and a $130,000 contract with the Taliban for 'generic services.'
They also said that the chief accountant had deleted over a terabyte of accounting records, which they were able to restore
'That's the definition of a cover up,' Musk said.
D.C. federal judge Beryl Howell ruled in May that the Institute of Peace is not part of the executive branch and so the Trump administration illegally removed the president of the organization and staff, while 'probably terrorizing employees and staff at the institute.'
'The President's efforts here to take over an organization outside of those bounds, contrary to statute established by Congress and by acts of force and threat using local and federal law enforcement officers, represented a gross usurpation of power and a way of conducting government affairs that unnecessarily traumatized the committed leadership and employees of USIP, who deserved better,' Howell wrote.
