Latest news with #LiberalMeltdown
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Did DOGE Officials Raid San Francisco's City Hall and Demand Data From Local Officials?
Three men entered San Francisco's City Hall on February 14 stating they were officials with the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and demanded access to city officials' computers. But neither officials with DOGE nor the Trump administration had any involvement in the altercation, which was later determined to be a stunt pulled off by online pranksters impersonating DOGE employees. The San Francisco Sheriff's Office confirmed that the men were not DOGE officials, and Danny Mullen, a YouTuber with more than 845,000 subscribers on the platform, uploaded a video on February 24, titled, 'Fake DOGE Prank in San Francisco (Liberal Meltdown).' The 29-minute video depicts Mullen, fellow influencer Leandro Dottavio, and a cameraman entering and wandering into both the San Francisco City Hall and Unified School District buildings, directing city employees to hand over information and instructing one official to insert Mullen's thumb drive into her laptop. Some internet users have posted clips of Mullen's video, seemingly mistaking the online pranksters for authentic DOGE officials. An X account with more than 1 million followers, 'Community Notes and Violations,' which has no official affiliation with the X platform, tweeted a clip of the video. While the clip features the pranksters identifying themselves as DOGE officials, the X account did not mention they were not real DOGE employees. On TikTok, one user with more than 100,000 followers—'Coach Chitown,' a self-described 'life engagement coach'—also posted a clip of the video, with the added text, 'Elon Musk's DOGE employees raid government employees offices.' 'Y'all won't believe this s—. Government employee offices was raided this week by DOGE,' he said in the video. He quoted one of the DOGE impersonators, incorrectly identifying him as an actual DOGE employee. 'Bradley from DOGE said, 'I don't need consent in Trump's America.' But hey, this is what America voted for. Now you ain't got no choice but to stick it out.' The same day that the pranksters entered the city government buildings, the San Francisco Sheriff's Office said in a statement that they were investigating the incident, adding, 'We do not believe the individuals requesting access to City files were representatives from DOGE.' Four days later on February 18, the office provided an update on its investigation. 'Upon review of City Hall surveillance footage, it appears that the men were wearing DOGECOIN (a cryptocurrency) t-shirts and non-descriptive hats.' It added, 'The men [impersonating DOGE officials] were verbally aggressive, insulted staff, and were unable to produce any formal identification; employees, therefore, did not comply with the men's requests.' Nearly a week later, Mullen uploaded the video of his prank onto YouTube. 'Elon Musk's DOGE is terrorizing public sector employees,' Mullen said at the beginning of the 29-minute video. 'Hopefully we have the credentials and the swagger as we go into City Hall and try and try to make things more efficient.' They also displayed clearly fake ID cards that featured profanity and graphic content. If you have a claim you would like to see us fact check, please send us an email at factcheck@ If you would like to suggest a correction to this piece or any other Dispatch article, please email corrections@
CBS News
26-02-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
San Francisco Sheriff confirms City Hall "raid" by DOGE employees was a prank
The San Francisco Sheriff's Office on Tuesday confirmed that the three men claiming to work for the Department of Government Efficiency who demanded information from officials at City Hall earlier in February were perpetrating a YouTube prank. The incident that happened at San Francisco City Hall on Friday, Feb. 14, was originally reported by authorities as involving men wearing DOGE shirts and red baseball hats with the pro-Trump slogan "Make America Great Again." Those initial reports indicated that the men entered several offices and demanded employees turn over digital information "related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud." The employees refused their requests and called sheriff's deputies, who arrived after the men had left City Hall. "We do not believe the individuals requesting access to City files were representatives from DOGE," the sheriff's office said after the incident. Last week, the San Francisco Sheriff provided an update saying the men were actually wearing t-shirts for the cryptocurrency Dogecoin. On Monday, a video was posted on YouTube by the account of known prank comic Danny Mullen with the headline "Fake DOGE prank San Francisco (Liberal Meltdown)" that showed the incident. On Tuesday, the San Francisco Sheriff's Office provided an update, saying authorities were aware of the prank clip. "The San Francisco Sheriff's Office expects to complete its investigation soon into the 2/14/25 incident at City Hall after video surfaced last night showing that the individuals impersonating DOGE were engaged in a "prank" for the benefit of YouTube notoriety," the statement read. "While some City employees may have been concerned by the disruption to their work, it's important to remember that San Francisco prides itself on its dedication to freedom of speech and expression." The statement went on to say the behaviors of the pranksters "went beyond courteous interactions" with the workers at City Hall and happened "in areas where City employees have an expectation of personal workspace safety." The San Francisco Sheriff said the investigation was ongoing into "those who engage in harassing behavior to serve their own political agendas," indicating the men involved could be charged "under Penal Code 602.1b; those who intentionally obstruct our employees' efforts to serve our residents and visitors may be subject to arrest."
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Fake DOGE raid at San Francisco City Hall was YouTube prank
SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — A trio of men who stormed offices at San Francisco City Hall earlier this month claiming they were DOGE employees were apparently YouTube pranksters. The three men barged their way into several City Hall offices on Friday, Feb. 14, demanding access to office computers and wearing clothing that implied they were part of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The San Francisco Sheriff's Office, which investigated the incident, said the men were 'verbally aggressive, insulted staff, and were unable to produce any form of identification.' Employees at City Hall refused the men's request and contacted law enforcement. The three men fled City Hall prior to the sheriff's arrival. Kennedy Center appearance for Bay Area performing arts group abruptly canceled Now it seems the whole incident may have been nothing more than a YouTube prank. On Monday, YouTube prankster Danny Mullen, whose channel boasts more than 844,000 subscribers, posted a video on his page titled, 'Fake DOGE Raids in San Francisco (Liberal Meltdown).' In the video, Mullen is seen wearing a 'Dogecoin' t-shirt and attempting to order a City Hall employee to let him put a thumb drive into a computer. The video then cuts to scenes of Mullen and one of his associates outside City Hall talking about Musk's DOGE organization and their controversial team of young tech staffers to target what they see as wasteful spending in government. In the video, Mullen and another person also dressed in outrageous 'DOGE' apparel are seen accosting workers in the building. 'What are you working on today?' Mullen, in character, demands to know from one City Hall employee. 'Sending tampons to dolphins in Timbuktu?' The clips of Mullen and his group in City Hall are intercut with clips of Trump administration officials, including Musk, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, and President Donald Trump himself. City Hall staffers in the video seemed largely nonplussed by the demands of the fake DOGE workers. 'Ya'll mind just getting out?' when worker can be heard telling them. 'Is this seriously what you all do?' 'I don't know what you guys are doing here?' says another worker. Later in the video, Mullen and his associate are seen reacting to media coverage of the stunt. When the incident initially occurred, the San Francisco Sheriff's Office told KRON4 they 'did not believe the individuals requesting access to City files were representatives of DOGE.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
