Washington, DC: Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL) joined with four other Indian American Members of Congress, Reps. Ami Bera (D-CA), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), and Suhas Subramanyam (D-VA), as well as Rep. Grace Meng (D-NY), Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus (CAPAC) and Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), in condemning Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) regarding Marko Elez, who initially resigned after making racist social media posts targeting Indian Americans before being rehired.
“We are outraged that Elon Musk is rehiring Marko Elez, a former DOGE staffer who resigned after being tied to a social media account that advocated to ‘normalize Indian hate’ and stated ‘I was racist before it was cool,” Congressman Krishnamoorthi, Chair Meng and the other Indian American Members said in their joint statement. “The account also posted deeply troubling statements that supported eugenics and criticized interracial marriage. When given the opportunity to disavow Marko Elez, our nation’s leaders refused to do so. President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Elon Musk have decided to double down and rehire the self-described racist. Their response is disappointing but not surprising. When hateful ideologies become normalized, it is our communities that are put at risk. We saw this with the rise of anti-Asian hate during the COVID-19 pandemic. Hate has no place in American society, and this dangerous rhetoric must be condemned forcefully and unequivocally. The judgement reflected in these racist posts is disturbing and disqualifying, yet the Trump administration gave this individual access to Americans’ most sensitive personal and financial data, including Social Security numbers and bank account information. We demand accountability. Those involved in the hiring of Marko Elez must be fired.”
“It is outrageous and deeply disturbing that Elon Musk and the Trump Administration would give an unqualified and self-described racist access to the highly sensitive personal and financial information of millions of Americans,” Leader Jeffries said. “The hate that Marko Elez has demonstrated towards the Indian American community is disqualifying and should be uniformly condemned. The decision to re-hire this individual proves once again that Elon Musk has no interest in protecting the safety and well-being of the American people.”
