Elon Musk visited the CIA to discuss DOGE measures
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Elon Musk at he White House last week. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Elon Musk visited the CIA headquarters on Monday for talks on government efficiency, the spy agency director of public affairs Liz Lyons told Axios.
Why it matters: This is the first time Musk has visited the CIA since the establishment of DOGE, the federal cost-cutting department that is he is the face of.
- Unlike other government departments, DOGE isn't going to get unlimited access to CIA databases or internal systems because most of it is top secret, a source familiar with the issue said.
Behind the scenes: Lyons said Musk, senior adviser to President Trump, was hosted by CIA director John Ratcliffe and deputy director Michael Ellis. A group of top CIA career officials also attended the meeting.
- During the meeting SpaceX and Tesla CEO Musk briefed Ratcliffe and other CIA officials about key insights from DOGE work so far at other departments and agencies and "the ways in which those lessons could be thoughtfully applied at CIA," Lyons said.
- A source familiar with the meeting said the CIA has an internal DOGE team that was formed after Trump's executive order. The team that includes CIA career officials has been working for several weeks.
- CIA officials didn't give Musk an intelligence briefing, but discussed with him "how the CIA is unique" in comparison to other government agencies, the source said.
- The source said Ratcliffe and his team discussed with Musk how the CIA can adapt steps that were taken in other government agencies and be more efficient without compromising national security.
- The source said another issue that was discussed in the meeting was technology.
What they're saying: "Director Ratcliffe emphasized during the meeting the importance of respecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring that they are spent wisely and appropriately — on CIA's mission of defending the United States of America," Lyons said.
Go deeper: Elon Musk visits Pentagon after bombshell reports on access to China war plans
Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that DOGE will get some access to CIA databases (rather than no access).