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Musk to Rehire Employee Linked to Controversial Social Media Account
Elon Musk has announced plans to reinstate a staff member from the recently established Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) who resigned after facing backlash for connections to a racist social media profile.
“He will be brought back,” Musk stated on X, the social media site he owns, emphasizing the sentiment that “to err is human, to forgive divine.”
Marko Elez, a 25-year-old previously employed by Musk’s SpaceX, was identified in media reports as the individual behind a now-deleted account that shared provocative and derogatory remarks. The information was first noted by the Wall Street Journal and later confirmed by the BBC.
Earlier in the day, Vice-President JD Vance expressed his belief that Elez deserved another chance, despite the inflammatory nature of his posts. The account in question had made several assertions, including a July post that stated: “Just for the record, I was racist before it was cool,” alongside another that declared a preference for marrying within one’s ethnicity.
In September, additional posts advocated negative sentiments towards certain ethnic groups, all of which have since been removed from the platform.
When President Donald Trump was asked for his opinion on Elez’s resignation and Vance’s defense of him, he admitted to being unaware of the specific incident but aligned with Vance’s perspective on the matter.
Vance later wrote on X, acknowledging his disagreement with some of Elez’s comments, but emphasizing his stance that “stupid social media activity should not ruin a kid’s life.”
On the same day, Musk conducted a poll on X, seeking feedback on whether Elez should be reinstated. The results showed significant support for his return, with over 78% of hundreds of thousands of participants voting in favor.
Responding to comments regarding the need for a conversation about Elez’s posts, Musk concurred, stating, “True.”
Elez’s departure comes amidst increasing scrutiny of the Doge initiative, spearheaded by Musk under the Trump administration’s directive to streamline government operations. Recently, a U.S. judge halted a proposal intended to incentivize federal employees to voluntarily resign, creating further complexities for the group’s plans.
Additionally, Musk has been vocal about his desire to dismantle the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). An imminent restructuring is set to place almost all non-essential personnel, totaling around 10,000, on administrative leave, including many employees stationed internationally.
Source
www.bbc.com