Ex-DOGE staffer raises eyebrows with 'arrogant' deposition: 'Oh look, a felony'

A former staffer at Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, raised eyebrows on Thursday after analysts viewed his "arrogant" deposition tape.

Nathan Cavanaugh, an ex-DOGE staffer, was deposed as part of a lawsuit filed by the American Council of Learned Societies, the American Historical Association, and the Modern Language Association challenging the agency's use of ChatGPT to identify and cancel grants supporting Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, or DEI, programs.

During the deposition, Cavanaugh admitted to sending himself files through his personal channels and on Signal to bypass government data control regulations. He also struggled to outline a framework for identifying alleged DEI grants beyond the broad Executive Order that President Donald Trump signed earlier last year.

Video of Cavanaugh's deposition raised the eyebrows of political analysts and observers.

"Oh, look, a felony," Jay Mallow, a retired Marine, posted on X.

"Arrogant punk," conservative political commentator Bryan McGrath posted on X.

"This is how DOGE was conducting its work," political commentator Tom Santos posted on X.

"Understand, all you people in the Trump administration, you’re gonna be in that chair, and others, in depositions and courtrooms, for years," military veteran John Jackson posted on X.

"God----, this gorgeous airhead could’ve had such a beautiful life as some intelligent, successful person's trophy husband, but instead he let Elon convince him that he wasn’t as dumb as a box of rocks, and got him to break the law for him," Sam Donovan, a former "Project Runway" contestant, posted on X.

"Jack Teixeira [was] sentenced to 15 years on federal charges for exactly that," political commentator Mykhaïlo Golub posted on X.