5 days ago
Doge staff ‘left Washington office littered with marijuana and cockroaches'
Elon Musk's Doge team reportedly left a government-funded institution littered with beer bottles, drugs and cockroaches.
Mr Musk, who left his job in Donald Trump's administration last week, attempted to dismantle the US Institute of Peace (Usip) and lay off most of its workers earlier this year, but was blocked by a court order.
Although it was established by and receives the bulk of its endowment from Congress, it is technically an independent organisation which its leadership says keeps it beyond the control of Mr Trump and his allies.
When employees returned last month to the interview, which is tasked with preventing conflict around the world, they reportedly found it full of cockroaches and rodents, with leftover marijuana and empty beer bottles strewn about.
Colin O'Brien, Usip's head of security, cited witnesses who said Doge workers were 'smoking weed in the building', according to Politico.
The Economist reported earlier this month that cleaners at Usip's Washington headquarters had found marijuana that had seemingly been thrown out by Mr Musk's team.
The Tesla boss reportedly embarked on an intense drug habit during his time on the campaign trail, to the point where he allegedly developed a bladder issue because of his ketamine consumption, The New York Times reported last week, citing people familiar with his activities with access to alleged evidence.
Mr Musk denied the allegations and accused the newspaper of 'lying their a-- off'.
Mr O'Brien said hundreds of laptops, which had previously been turned over to Doge staffers, were found stacked haphazardly on top of each other, while chargers were found in bins.
Numerous flags bearing the name of the institution had been removed from the building, he added.
'It was neglect,' he said. 'These folks don't know how to run a large, multi-building commercial office complex.'
Staff carried out 'illegal takeover'
Usip became a flashpoint in Mr Musk's push for government cuts this year when Doge staffers repeatedly tried to gain entrance to the building.
In March, they finally managed to make their way in, prompting Usip's acting president George Moose to declare they had 'broken into our building ' and declared it 'an illegal takeover by elements of the executive branch'.
Some staff were forcibly removed from the building by police, and were sacked by the Trump administration two weeks later.
However, Usip workers were reinstated and allowed back in the building in May when a court declared the takeover 'unlawful' and said it had been conducted by 'illegitimately-installed leaders'.
