New Faces, Old Connections: A Shift in Federal Roles

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has a new senior adviser. Tarak Makecha, who used to work at Tesla, has taken on this role. He also advises the Justice Department’s IT and cybersecurity office. This move is part of a bigger change happening in federal agencies. Since President Trump’s return, there has been a significant shake-up. Many of the new faces in these agencies have ties to Elon Musk’s companies, like Tesla, SpaceX, and X. Makecha’s background is quite interesting. Before joining the government, he was the chief financial officer of a drone detection company. He also spent time at Tesla, working on strategic planning for Tesla Energy. His current focus at the Justice Department seems to be on grant-making operations. This is notable because a group called DOGE recently used these operations to target a criminal justice nonprofit. The Vera Institute of Justice, a group working on criminal justice reform, had a run-in with DOGE. Two DOGE staffers reached out to the Institute, wanting to assign a DOGE team to them. They had a plan to place DOGE teams in every agency that receives congressional funding. The Institute had to explain that they were not a congressional entity but a nonprofit that receives grants. Makecha is not the only one with a background in Musk’s companies. Justin Monroe, a former SpaceX security director, is also at the FBI. His role is a bit unusual. He is listed as “counsel” in the attorney general’s office, despite having no known legal training. Another DOGE staffer, Christopher Stanley, is also at the Justice Department. He was involved in helping January 6 defendants get released after Trump’s pardon. These changes raise some questions. Why are so many people from Musk’s companies taking on these roles? What is their aim? And how will these changes affect the work of federal agencies? Only time will tell how these new faces will shape the future of these important institutions.