They were neither Department of Government Efficiency officials nor simple impersonators.
Instead, a social media video posted Monday may have provided evidence that three men who asked for sensitive data and caused a stir at San Francisco City Hall two weeks ago were YouTube pranksters thirsting for a laugh.
Comedian Danny Mullen posted a 29-minute clip, with roughly the first 17 minutes focusing on his and two other men’s actions at City Hall on Valentine’s Day.
The men have been the focus of an investigation by the San Francisco Sheriff’s Office, which noted it is “a crime to interfere with public business.”
“Video surfaced last night showing that the individuals impersonating DOGE were engaged in a ‘prank’ for the benefit of YouTube notoriety,” said Tara Moriarty, sheriff’s director of communications.
An email to an address for Mullen was not returned.
In the video, Mullen refers to himself variously as “Brad Schmidt” and “Facef—” and says he is a DOGE supporter. He and an unidentified man and the cameraman, who does not speak, moved relatively freely among City Hall rooms and hallways around noon on Feb. 14.
Mullen wore a black MAGA hat and a black Dogecoin shirt, the same shirt his bespectacled unidentified accomplice donned.
At one point, Mullen identifies himself as a DOGE worker and says he has to put a thumb drive into a City Hall official’s computer.
She tells him, “No, you won’t,” closes her laptop and leaves the room.
The men bounce around departments, including the assessment appeals office, telling workers they will audit their computer systems, calling one’s work “lists of stupid s—,” while bothering employees as they worked.
Each of the men also carried racy identification cards with strippers and QR codes on them.
For the most part, employees calmly placated or humored them, with some ignoring the trio or asking them to leave.
“The behaviors of the individuals under investigation went beyond courteous interactions with city workers and legislative staff, and were carried out in areas where city employees have an expectation of personal workspace safety,” Moriarty said.
The apparent prank comes at a time of high insecurity for federal employees, thousands of whom have lost their jobs to DOGE cuts backed by tech titan Elon Musk and President Trump.
In two instances during the San Francisco incident, employees threatened to involve law enforcement, with one man who identified himself as a judge telling the the intruders he was going to call the California Highway Patrol if they didn’t leave.
As shown on YouTube, all government workers had their faces blurred.
Throughout the footage, Mullen and his partners pass by, greet and joke with law enforcement and sheriff’s personnel.
“All day, the cops just didn’t care that we were doing this,” Mullen said in the YouTube video.
Moriarty said, however, that “as revealed in the footage, our city staff remains committed to being friendly, approachable and hardworking, and we do not appreciate those who engage in harassing behavior to serve their own political agendas.”
Beyond the political, Mullen seemed to have a personal agenda as he used the YouTube video to promote an upcoming stand-up comedy show.
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