International
Court Blocks Elon Musk’s Team from Reviewing Treasury Financial Records
- Federal judge blocks Musk’s access to Americans’ financial data, citing privacy risks.
- Court order mandates destruction of obtained records and restricts further access.
- State attorneys general sue Trump administration, claiming illegal data-sharing.
A federal judge has blocked Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) from accessing millions of Americans’ personal financial data stored in Treasury Department records, according to court filings.
On Saturday, U.S. District Judge Paul A. Engelmayer issued a preliminary injunction, prohibiting access and ordering Musk’s team to destroy any copies of the records immediately.
The ruling follows a lawsuit filed by 19 state attorneys general against the Trump administration, arguing that granting access to Musk—a “special government employee”—and Doge, which is not an official government agency, violated federal law.
EDITOR’S PICKS
- 45% of Nigerian Girls Become Mothers Before 18 — World Bank
- ECOWAS Faces Historic Defection as Three West African Nations Withdraw
- Netanyahu to Meet Trump at White House Next Week
Musk, in response, called the ruling “absolutely insane” in a post on X, questioning how fraud and government waste could be addressed without reviewing financial records.
The judge’s order stated that allowing such access posed an “irreparable” risk of exposing sensitive personal data and increasing vulnerabilities to cyber threats. It also restricted access to Treasury Department records strictly to vetted civil servants within the Bureau of Fiscal Services.
The injunction remains in effect until a court hearing scheduled for February 14.
FURTHER READING
- [VIDEO] Commotion Rocks PDP BoT Meeting as Faction Confront Each Other
- NiDCOM Prepares for Deportation of Nigerians from U.S
- BREAKING: Sowore Pleads Not Guilty to Cybercrime Charges Filed by Police IG
New York Attorney General Letitia James, one of the plaintiffs, criticized the Trump administration for granting Musk and Doge “unprecedented access” to personal financial data, warning that it threatened both individual privacy and critical community funding.
Musk’s role in Trump’s second term has been marked by sweeping cost-cutting measures, including significant reductions at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), which oversees billions in foreign aid.
Click here to watch our video of the week:
Advertise or Publish a Story on EkoHot Blog:
Kindly contact us at [email protected]. Breaking stories should be sent to the above email and substantiated with pictorial evidence.
Citizen journalists will receive a token as data incentive.
Call or Whatsapp: 0803 561 7233, 0703 414 5611
