He Blew the Whistle on DOGE. Then His Brakes Were Cut
Dan Berulis, an NLRB whistleblower, has filed a defamation lawsuit against Elon Musk after alleging that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) compromised agency data. Berulis claims he was targeted for his disclosures, including an incident where his car's brakes were allegedly tampered with.
Why it matters
The case highlights intense tensions between government oversight, private sector influence in public administration, and whistleblower protections.
Photograph: WLADIMIR BULGAR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story On April 14, 2025, Dan Berulis, an IT staffer at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), filed a Congressional whistleblower complaint with an extraordinary and urgent claim: The so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) had seemingly compromised the agency’s data and appeared to be exfiltrating it out of the NLRB entirely. Additionally, Berulis claimed that mere minutes after DOGE members had accessed the agency’s data, there appeared to be login attempts from an IP address in Russia.
The framing focuses heavily on the whistleblower's narrative and the controversial nature of the DOGE initiative.
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