Secret Service Responded to a DOGE Bro Plotting to Install Starlink on Roof

We may have reached peak DOGE.

According to The New York Times, an official for the Department of Government Efficiency tripped an alarm last month while scoping out the roof of a federal building across from the White House, hoping to install Elon Musk’s Starlink satellite internet there. A Secret Service agent reportedly rushed to respond.

The White House told the Times that the Secret Service “was aware of DOGE’s intentions to improve internet access on the campus” and “did not consider this matter a security incident or security breach.” According to the Times, Starlink terminals have now been installed at the White House and the General Services Administration.

This story has a little bit of everything we’ve come to know about DOGE.

For one thing, it’s yet another entry in the growing list of potential conflicts of interest for Musk and his businesses. Chris Stanley, the DOGE official who went to the roof and coordinated the setup of the Starlink system, is also a security engineer at both X and SpaceX, which owns Starlink, the Times reported.

The White House told the Times that the Starlink terminals were donated, but former White House officials said such donations are typically restricted. Starlink is already the subject of other accusations of self-dealing by Musk, including allegations that the Commerce Department is rewriting the rules of a federal broadband grant program to give Musk’s company a bigger cut.

There’s also the potential security risk of Starlink establishing another cybersecurity attack point. According to the Times, the White House is already equipped with fiber internet, and it’s unclear if Starlink’s service is similarly secure.

Last, there’s the deeply chaotic implementation that has become DOGE’s trademark. Its staffers are already rifling through every corner of the federal government, and it was only a matter of time before one ended up on the roof.