Neither the law nor morality stopped the world’s richest man and his team of young techies from snatching control of the federal purse away from its legal handlers. As head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency under Donald Trump, Musk appears to be helping himself to the private information and financial records of tens if not hundreds of millions of Americans. At 19, Edward Coristine is the youngest member of the DOGE team reportedly helping Elon Musk do just that. Here’s what the techie nicknamed “Big Balls” was doing before he joined Musk’s assault on the U.S. Treasury Department.
Big Balls Staffer Helps Musk Overtake U.S. Treasury
It’s the Treasury Department’s job to send out trillions of dollars a year to a variety of critical agencies, including Medicare and Social Security. Any disruption to the Treasury threatens the lives and livelihoods of countless Americans. According to a new report, Coristine has a dubious background that should’ve given anyone conducting a governmental background check pause. Whether Coristine and the rest of the DOGE team have been granted official security clearances of any kind is unclear.
Coristine, who also goes by “Big Balls,” reportedly started at least five different companies in the last four years, some of which have connections to China and Russia. In 2022, he worked at Path Network, a network monitoring firm known for hiring reformed blackhat hackers. Later that same year, a Telegram handle linked to Coristine reportedly solicited a cyberattack-for-hire service. If Trump’s plans to let Musk upgrade aviation weren’t scary enough, the hands now holding the federal purse sure are.
‘All of this is in project 2025’
A TikTok video by @advicefromlouisreloaded about the situation garnered over 35k likes and numerous comments condemning the actions of Musk and his team. One commenter highlighted what’s perhaps the most obvious problem with the takeover of the U.S. Treasury by Elon Musk: “HE’S NOT EVEN AN ELECTED OFFICIAL.” Another pointed out the warning signs that many seemingly ignored during Musk’s rise to power:
All of this is in project 2025. Nobody believed it would happen no matter how many times we sreamed about it. [sic]
Shameless overreach and abuse of power from billionaires is nothing new. Jeopardizing the privacy of countless people and the stability of the U.S. economy in this way? That might be. Despite the public outcry, it seems little of substance is being done to stop Elon Musk from seizing control of the Treasury. What that means for federal workers and federal benefits remains to be seen.
