New acting Social Security commissioner was under investigation when Musk team tapped him
Acting Social Security Administration Commissioner Michelle King resigned over the holiday weekend after she reportedly refused to aid Elon Musk’s pseudo-agency, the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), with accessing sensitive beneficiary data. King left a vacancy that was immediately filled by Leland Dudek, a guy who most people at the agency had never heard of before. By Wednesday night, Musk was publicly praising him as a hero. What happened?
In a now-deleted LinkedIn post on Friday from Dudek that was shared with me earlier this week, he proudly admits to violating multiple agency protocols and ethical standards in service of Musk’s SSA team—which I’ve confirmed includes Ethan Shaotran, Nikhil Rajpal, Gautier Cole-Killian and Marko Elez (who previously resigned after his racist social media posts resurfaced but has been reinstated).
Dudek posted his confessionary tale when King was still in charge, but when his fate suddenly changed early this week, the post vanished. [Continue reading…]
In his first days on the job, Dudek has made bold moves that are highly unusual for someone in an acting role. He has slashed the agency’s research program, restructured numerous departments, announced the hires of new political staff, and made personnel changes that include the demotion of the career senior executive who was involved in placing him on paid leave last week, according to internal personnel announcements obtained by The Washington Post.
Dudek’s sudden elevation amid the departure of career leaders with years of experience has thrown the agency of 58,000 employees into turmoil as Trump’s nominee to lead it permanently, Fiserv chief executive Frank Bisignano, awaits his confirmation hearings in the Senate. Social Security manages retirement, survivor and disability benefits, and Supplemental Security Income to 73 million Americans. The political risks of instability at the agency, including uncertainty about its solvency and whether payments will continue to flow to millions of Americans, are considerable for Trump and Republicans generally. [Continue reading…]