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After Trump suggested that Elon Musk should get more aggressive with federal workers, Musk sent an email to every federal worker demanding to know what they accomplished last week. Musk told the workers that failure to reply to the email would be considered their resignation.
House Democrats pounced and demanded that 24 federal agencies tell their employees to ignore Musk’s email, which left the Trump administration with a choice of either supporting Musk or supporting the people running executive branch agencies and in the process revealing that Musk has no power.
The Trump administration chose to humiliate Musk.
Hadas Gold of CNN posted on X:
OPM officially notified HR chiefs at all agencies today that the “what did you do last week” email is voluntary and failure to respond does NOT equal resignation. This is per an email I obtained sent to DOJ HR officials.
In other words, Elon Musk doesn’t have the power and legal authority to make demands on federal workers and fire them.
House Democrats demanded that Trump put a leash on Musk, and his administration did.
The next time Elon Musk tries to pull an illegal stunt like this, federal workers will have a better understanding of the limits of Musk’s power.
Elon Musk’s email was in violation of the Appointments Clause of the Constitution.
Article II Sec. 2 Clause 2 of the Constitution states:
He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate, and by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, shall appoint Ambassadors, other public Ministers and Consuls, Judges of the supreme Court, and all other Officers of the United States, whose Appointments are not herein otherwise provided for, and which shall be established by Law: but the Congress may by Law vest the Appointment of such inferior Officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in the Courts of Law, or in the Heads of Departments.
Musk is not a legally appointed and Senate-confirmed head of a department. Legally, he has no ability to hire and fire anyone who is a federal employee.
The Trump administration exposed Elon Musk as having no real power.
Musk ended up humiliated by his tough-talking email.
What do you think of Musk’s humiliation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
