The Blubber

Elon Musk has accused the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) of deleting a terabyte of financial data in an attempt to “cover their crimes.”

Musk reposted a claim on X (formerly Twitter) from the conservative account ‘amuse,’ which alleged that the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) discovered USIP had issued contracts to Afghanistan’s former chief of protocol—allegedly a former Taliban member—and to the Iraqi League for Youth.

“They deleted a terabyte of financial data to cover their crimes, but they don't understand technology, so we recovered it,” Musk wrote on X.

As of now, Musk has not provided any evidence of the data recovery, nor has he clarified why the contracts in question would constitute criminal activity.

Newsweek reached out to USIP for comment.

Why It Matters

USIP is a nonpartisan organization, created by Congress in 1984 to support global peacebuilding and conflict resolution. Nearly all of its 300 employees were abruptly dismissed Friday night in a sweeping move by the Trump administration, which has long advocated for the organization’s elimination.

Musk has made repeated claims accusing government institutions of criminal activity. However, despite these allegations, he has not initiated any legal proceedings to pursue accountability for the alleged misconduct.

Notably, Musk was recently forced to delete a post in which he offered money to Wisconsin voters, after his AI chatbot, Grok, flagged the move as a potential violation of Wisconsin election law.

What To Know

The Trump administration has made conflicting statements about Musk’s role in the Department of Government Efficiency. While Amy Gleason has been officially named Acting Administrator of DOGE, Trump stated during his address to Congress that Musk is heading the agency.

Musk’s influence within the federal government—particularly regarding mass layoffs of federal workers—has sparked debate across both Republican and Democratic town halls.

Following DOGE’s investigation into USIP, nearly the entire USIP staff was terminated, and 28-year-old DOGE employee Nate Cavanaugh was installed as its new head.

It remains unclear why Musk considers the funding of the Iraqi League for Youth to be a criminal act. While the post by ‘amuse’ claimed the money went to “Iraqi leaders,” the Iraqi League for Youth is a recognized human rights organization focused on youth and women’s empowerment in Iraq.

As for Afghanistan, funds may have been directed through Taliban channels due to their position as the de facto government, especially in the context of peacebuilding efforts.