‘Dangerous’: Democrats Barge Into Speaker Johnson’s Office

Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) made an unexpected appearance at House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, confronting him over the fact that Elon Musk’s team had gained access to a Treasury Department payment platform.

The lawmakers’ sudden entrance happened shortly after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived for a meeting with Speaker Johnson. The discussion centered around how to implement President Donald Trump’s tax policies, even as Democrats increasingly expressed frustration over Musk’s growing influence within the federal government.

However, Moore later said that when she and Chu directly challenged Speaker Johnson, Secretary Bessent was not in the room.

“Gwen Moore forced her way in there, and then I got to go in right behind her,” Chu recounted to reporters. “And she was already confronting Speaker Johnson about Treasury Secretary Bessent and the stealing of Americans’ private information, tax information that should never be stolen and given to this billionaire Elon Musk.”

Just days earlier, Secretary Bessent reportedly allowed Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency to gain access to the payment system, during a meeting with House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) in Johnson’s office. That system handles the movement of trillions of dollars related to tax refunds, Social Security benefits, and countless other government financial transactions.

On Tuesday, the Treasury Department notified Congress that Musk’s team currently has “read-only” access to the system. Officials also emphasized that this review “is not resulting” in any delays to federal payments already approved by agencies.

Not everyone approved of how Chu and Moore conducted themselves during the encounter. One person who witnessed the exchange called out their behavior.

“In the face of incredibly rude, extremely aggressive and frankly unhinged behavior, the Speaker was more than gracious and allowed the members into his personal office to hear their concerns,” said the witness, who requested anonymity to speak freely.

Chu’s office, however, pushed back against that description.

“She never barged, or shoved her way, into anything. She politely joined the meeting already occurring and the Speaker invited her in for a brief, civil discussion. The Secretary was not present, and she left immediately afterwards,” said Graeme Crews, Chu’s communications director, in a statement.

Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielded several questions on Monday about whether Elon Musk had undergone a security clearance process or background check.

“Can you confirm that Elon Musk is a special government employee?” asked CNN’s chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. “And what kind of security clearance does he have?”

Leavitt responded, “I can confirm he’s a special government employee. I can also confirm that he has abided by all applicable federal laws. As for his security clearance, I’m not sure, but I can check back with you.”

Collins followed up, asking whether Musk had completed a background check. Leavitt admitted, “I don’t know about the security clearance, but I can check.”

When asked if anyone from Musk’s team had received clearance, Leavitt repeated, “I don’t, no, but again, I can check on that for you.”

That same day, CNN also reported that Musk’s designation as a special government employee means he “is not a volunteer but also not a full-time federal employee.” The report further cited an unnamed source claiming Musk had been granted “a top-secret security clearance.”

During a CNN segment last month, attorney Arthur Aidala argued Musk should not need a background check given his contributions to space exploration. According to Aidala, Musk had already “gotten us into space” and “gotten us to the moon.”

In January, Musk himself pledged to bring home two astronauts who have been stuck in space for nearly eight months, criticizing the Biden administration for failing to act sooner. He announced that President Donald Trump had personally asked him to assist in rescuing NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been aboard the International Space Station since last June on what was initially planned as a short, weeklong trip.

NASA had intended to bring the astronauts home using a SpaceX capsule, a plan in place since the Biden years. However, technical problems and scheduling issues caused repeated delays, according to the New York Post.

The pair originally traveled to the station using Boeing’s Starliner, which marked Boeing’s first-ever human spaceflight. However, the capsule experienced multiple problems, including helium leaks and malfunctioning thrusters. As a result, NASA determined it was unsafe for astronauts to return in the Starliner and ordered it back to Earth uncrewed.

“The @POTUS has asked @SpaceX to bring home the 2 astronauts stranded on the @SpaceStation as soon as possible. We will do so,” Musk posted on X Tuesday night. “Terrible that the Biden administration left them there so long.”

NASA had originally planned for Wilmore and Williams to return home aboard SpaceX’s Dragon capsule by February. However, the timeline slipped into March or early April due to additional scheduling adjustments.

Although the Dragon capsule is already in orbit, SpaceX postponed the launch of the replacement crew, which must arrive at the station before Wilmore and Williams can leave. According to the Post, NASA prefers to overlap crews at the station to ensure smooth handovers.

The delay stems from SpaceX needing to conduct additional work on the replacement capsule before it launches.

At first, both Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were appointed to lead the Department of Government Efficiency — often referred to by its acronym, DOGE — but Ramaswamy later stepped down to pursue his campaign for Ohio governor.

Both Musk and Ramaswamy had repeatedly voiced support for slashing the size and scope of the federal government during Trump’s presidential run.