• Pascal's Chatbot Q&As
  • Posts
  • Claude: The actions appear to go beyond normal executive branch authority and constitute what could be characterized as a "digital coup" using technical means to seize control of government operations

Claude: The actions appear to go beyond normal executive branch authority and constitute what could be characterized as a "digital coup" using technical means to seize control of government operations

...while maintaining a facade of legality through executive orders. This represents a serious threat to democratic governance and constitutional order through technological means.

Author

Pascal Hetzscholdt
February 04, 2025

Asking Claude: Please analyze all these Wired articles and tell me: Is this a Digital Coup? Explain what happened, list the names of those involved, their actions and whether all of this is unconstitutional and/or illegal.

Claude’s answer:
Based on the collected Wired articles, this appears to be a coordinated takeover of critical government infrastructure and systems by Elon Musk and associates through an entity called DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency), established by executive order under President Trump in January 2025. Here's an analysis:

Key Players and Actions:

  1. Leadership:

  • Elon Musk - Appointed head of DOGE

  • Steve Davis - Key DOGE leader, former Boring Company CEO

  • Nicole Hollander - High-level access at GSA, former Twitter transition team member

  • Thomas Shedd - Former Tesla engineer, now runs GSA Technology Transformation Services

  • Stephanie Holmes - DOGE's HR chief

  • Marko Elez - 25-year-old former SpaceX/X engineer with admin access to Treasury payment systems

  1. Young Engineers Given Critical Access:

  • Akash Bobba - Former Palantir/Meta intern

  • Edward Coristine - Recent high school graduate/Neuralink intern

  • Luke Farritor - Former SpaceX intern/Thiel Fellow

  • Gautier Cole Killian - Recent college graduate

  • Gavin Kliger - Former Databricks employee

  • Ethan Shaotran - Harvard senior/xAI hackathon participant

Key Actions That Suggest a Digital Coup:

  1. System Access Seizure:

  • Gained admin-level access to critical government payment systems

  • Obtained control of Treasury Department systems controlling federal payments

  • Installed unauthorized email servers at OPM

  • Attempted to access classified systems at USAID

  1. Personnel Actions:

  • Placed key security officials on administrative leave

  • Forced out career officials like Treasury's David Lebryk

  • Fired inspectors general

  • Blocked employee access to work systems

  • Offered questionably legal "deferred resignations" to federal workers

  1. Infrastructure Control:

  • Taking control of federal buildings

  • Restricting physical access to facilities

  • Installing unauthorized IT systems

  • Bypassing normal security protocols

Legal/Constitutional Issues:

This appears to violate multiple laws and constitutional principles:

  1. Separation of Powers:

  • Bypassing Congressional oversight

  • Unauthorized control of appropriated funds

  • Interfering with established agencies

  1. Federal Laws:

  • Violation of the E-Government Act

  • Potential violation of the Administrative Procedure Act

  • Unauthorized access to government systems

  • Privacy Act violations

  • Federal Records Act violations

  1. Security Protocols:

  • Bypassing required security clearances

  • Unauthorized system access

  • Improper handling of sensitive data

  • Installation of unauthorized servers

The pattern suggests a systematic attempt to seize control of government infrastructure through both technical and administrative means, bypassing normal constitutional checks and balances. The placement of young, inexperienced associates in critical positions, combined with the forced removal of career officials and security personnel, indicates a coordinated effort to take control of government systems outside normal democratic processes.

The actions appear to go beyond normal executive branch authority and constitute what could be characterized as a "digital coup" - using technical means to seize control of government operations while maintaining a facade of legality through executive orders.

The most concerning aspects are:

  1. Control of federal payment systems

  2. Access to sensitive personal data

  3. Ability to monitor/control government communications

  4. Removal of oversight mechanisms

  5. Installation of parallel infrastructure

This represents a serious threat to democratic governance and constitutional order through technological means rather than traditional military force.

·

26 JAN