(NewsNation) — Elon Musk is calling for the impeachment of judges blocking the Department of Government Efficiency after a federal judge stopped the department from accessing Treasury Department files.
Musk claimed his team needs the data to prevent fraud, accusing the judge of protecting corruption.
Over the weekend, Musk criticized the judge on his social media platform X, asserting his team is working to identify waste and abuse in government systems at the direction of President Donald Trump.
On Monday, Musk doubled down on his attacks, replying to a user who noted federal judges can be impeached by Congress.
“It’s time,” he said.
Elon Musk clashes with judge over DOGE authority
Early Saturday, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction after 19 Democratic attorneys general filed a lawsuit alleging the Trump administration allowed Musk’s team access to the Treasury Department’s central payment system in violation of federal law.
The payment system handles tax refunds, Social Security benefits, veterans’ benefits and much more, sending out trillions of dollars annually while containing an expansive network of Americans’ personal and financial data. A hearing is set for Feb. 14.
On Sunday, Musk called for the annual firing of federal judges. “I’d like to propose that the worst 1% of appointed judges, as determined by elected bodies, be fired every year,” he wrote in a social media post. “This will weed out the most corrupt and least competent.”
In another post, he wrote, “A corrupt judge protecting corruption. He needs to be impeached now!”
Trump: Elon Musk could look at Education Department soon
The White House called the ruling “absurd” and “judicial overreach.”
In a Fox News Sunday interview, Trump supported Musk and said Musk and his team will soon start looking into the Education Department.
Musk, in another social media post this weekend, replied to a message in part about schools, writing, “It is now or never. We are at a fork in the road of destiny.”
As Musk and his team look to make the federal government more efficient, Trump said he predicts Musk and DOGE will find hundreds of billions of dollars of fraud and abuse.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
