“If Mr. Musk has taken actions in his federal role that will benefit his financial interests without receiving appropriate waivers and approvals, he may have violated the criminal conflict of interest statute,” the senators alleged. That ethics law, they said, “prohibits special government employees from participating “personally and substantially” in any particular matter that would have a “direct and predictable effect” on his or her financial interest, they said.
So far, the senators said, the Trump administration has only given vague assurances of Musk’s and DOGE’s compliance with ethics laws. It also remains unclear how much of DOGE remains under Musk’s control, they alleged.
Their attempts to request this information from Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Acting CFPB Director Russ Vought have been ignored, and now they’re calling on the OGE to fill its “critical role” as an “independent arbiter and enforcer of the federal criminal conflict of interest statute and other ethics rules,” they said.
They’ve asked Collins for a “robust response” by March 12 to questions probing Musk’s compliance with ethics laws, his involvement at DOGE, and DOGE’s overall regulatory compliance. For transparency, the senators also want all communications between OGE, the White House, the Executive Office of the President, and Musk, as well as details on any contact the CFPB and the Treasury Department have had with OGE about Musk’s and DOGE’s compliance.
Whether Collins will respond robustly seems up in the air. The senators expressed concerns that the OGE’s independence may be compromised since Collins is an apparent Trump ally.
“The President’s decision to place a political ally at the head of OGE raises significant concerns about OGE’s independence and undermines trust in the OGE as an impartial, apolitical ethics arbiter,” the senators wrote.
Trump accused the CFPB of “destroying people”
“CFPB RIP,” Musk posted on X after DOGE secured a stop-work order at the CFPB, the senators noted in their letter, urging the OGE to recognize Musk’s social media posts as evidence of alleged conflicts of interest.
