Former USIP Lawyer on DOGE: ‘Brass Knuckles on an Authoritarian Fist’

george foote still There are vivid memories of the day when workers from Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency arrived at the headquarters of the United States Institute of Peace. USIP’s external general counsel, he has been part of an effort to prevent the US government from taking control of the organization. When DOGE activists arrived at the USIP offices in the spring they arrived like a “strike team,” Foote told the audience at WIRED’s Big Interview event in San Francisco on Thursday.

The DOGE team left behind “a half-pound of weed” — possibly, a fellow panelist said, half an ounce — and ultimately it seemed like “they didn’t know what to do with that space,” Foote said. It’s indicative of many of DOGE’s actions, Foote said, which “came across like brass knuckles on an authoritarian fist.” He said he wasn’t sure what Musk wanted to do with DOGE, “but he took it to destructive levels.”

The Trump administration’s interest in the independent agency dates back to a February 19 executive order declaring the agency “unnecessary” and calling for it to be abolished. In March, the administration fired 10 USIP voting board members, and they tried to enter the headquarters, but were turned back, according to court filings. In court documents, lawyers for the agency detailed a series of attempts by DOGE to enter the $500 million building before its operators ultimately succeeded. Ultimately, a judge ruled that DOGE and the US government did not have the right to take control of USIP and its headquarters.

Nevertheless, Trump’s name was installed on USIP’s headquarters building ahead of the signing of a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo this week. “The signatures were withheld there because the president wants to assert control over the building,” said Foote, who is currently representing USIP directors in a lawsuit challenging Trump’s authority to remove them from office.

Burst was one of many to speak on a panel hosted by WIRED senior writer Vittoria Elliott on the consequences of DOGE’s move-fast-break-things ethos. Foote was joined by former Social Security Administration Commissioner Leland Dudek and former DOGE engineer Sahil Lavingia, who announced during the panel that he has returned to the government at the Internal Revenue Service.

As WIRED reported on Tuesday, many of the young technologists sent by DOGE to various US agencies are still working with federal government entities. Edward “Big Balls” Coristin, Sky Bobba, Ethan Shotran, Marco Alez, and Gavin Kliger all appear to still be affiliated with DOGE or the US government. DOGE “just got converted,” an IRS employee told WIRED.

As DOGE’s influence spreads, Foote said, it’s important for people to keep an eye on what’s going on. He is confident that the USIP director will win in court, even if the process is lengthy. “The rule of law means nothing if people do not stand up to protect it,” he said.