San Francisco city officials are investigating after three men who claimed to be from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) showed up at City Hall on Friday demanding records from offices before fleeing.
According to the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, the men, who were dressed in “DOGE” shirts and hats with the pro-Trump slogan Make America Great Again, arrived at City Hall around noon. The men entered several offices and demanded employees turn over digital information “related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud.”
Around 12pm today, three men dressed in DOGE shirts and MAGA hats entered various offices at San Francisco City Hall, demanding that employees turn over digital information related to alleged wasteful government spending and fraud. The employees refused their requests, and called… pic.twitter.com/bCtsNlgL7U
— SF Sheriff’s Office (@SheriffSF) February 14, 2025
In response, the employees refused their requests and called sheriff’s deputies. The men had left City Hall before deputies arrived.
“We do not believe the individuals requesting access to City files were representatives from DOGE,” the sheriff’s office said Friday.
Deputies said they are reviewing surveillance footage and using other investigative tools to pursue leads. The following week, the sheriff’s office confirmed the men were wearing Dogecoin t-shirts, but did not have MAGA hats as initially reported.
Led by billionaire Elon Musk, DOGE was created by President Trump through an executive order he signed shortly after his inauguration, with its mission to slash federal spending.
According to social media posts from the task force and Musk, DOGE is seeking to identify federal contracts and spending on issues that don’t align with Mr. Trump’s policies, including DEI and foreign aid.
The task force has also attracted lawsuits, claiming it has violated the law. California Attorney General Rob Bonta was among 14 attorneys general who filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging Musk and DOGE’s authority to access sensitive government data.
“DOGE’s ransacking of federal agencies has sown tremendous chaos, instilled distrust among the American people, and has caused deep harm to our country,” Bonta said in a statement. “Like a bull in a china shop, Mr. Musk is wielding an enormous amount of illegitimized power over sensitive systems and important government programs that are vital to the American way of life.”
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Tim Fang
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