Reports suggest that Musk attempted to bring in a non-U.S. citizen for a key role at DOGE, only to have his request flatly denied by Trump himself.
According to sources cited by The Atlantic, Musk had his sights set on hiring Baris Akis, the co-founder and president of Human Capital, a venture capital firm investing in industries shaping the future. Akis is well-connected in Silicon Valley and reportedly close to Musk, but there was one glaring issue—he isn’t a U.S. citizen.
Federal rules generally prohibit non-citizens from working within the government, except in rare cases where no qualified U.S. citizen is available. Given DOGE’s already controversial role in government operations, the move raised immediate concerns.
Trump, it seems, wasn’t willing to bend the rules for Musk’s pick. Two sources revealed that the president personally shut down the request, making it clear that even his high-profile ally wouldn’t get a free pass.
The pushback comes just days after Trump reaffirmed his control over Musk’s role in his administration. During a signing event at the Oval Office on February 3, Trump issued a firm statement:
“Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval. And we will give him the approval where appropriate, and where not appropriate, we won’t. Where we think there is a conflict or there’s a problem, we won’t let him go near it.”
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