More than 50 Democratic lawmakers are demanding a formal investigation into explosive whistleblower claims that officials from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), reportedly led by Elon Musk, improperly accessed sensitive internal systems at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The claims, made public in a letter sent to the NLRB’s Acting General Counsel William B. Cowen on April 24, are raising serious concerns about cybersecurity breaches, potential worker privacy violations, and political interference in ongoing labor disputes.
The whistleblower, identified as NLRB IT staff member Daniel Berulis, alleges that DOGE personnel were granted “tenant owner level” access to the Board’s NxGen case management system in early March. This access allowed them to read, copy, and alter case data—including personal information of union members and witnesses—without activity logs being generated or preserved. The letter, signed by key members of Congress, outlines that such unrestricted access contradicts best practices established by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Among the most alarming revelations: DOGE engineers allegedly extracted roughly 10 gigabytes of data from NxGen, deleted outbound traffic logs, and disabled critical controls that protect the system from insecure or unauthorized mobile devices. The data reportedly included non-public information such as testimony from ongoing cases and contact details of external attorneys engaged with the Board.
Berulis also claims he faced retaliation for attempting to involve the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), including receiving a threatening letter at his office containing personal data and surveillance photographs of him walking his dog.
“DOGE’s actions, if verified, reflect a dangerous breach of privacy and cybersecurity protocol—placing workers and whistleblowers at risk,” the lawmakers wrote. They further noted the curious involvement of DOGE, which typically focuses on federal payment systems, in a labor agency unrelated to financial data.
The situation is made even more contentious by the fact that Elon Musk, whom President Donald Trump has publicly declared as being “in charge” of DOGE, has several active cases pending before the NLRB and is engaged in legal efforts to challenge its constitutional authority.
The congressional letter calls on the NLRB Inspector General to investigate and seeks answers by May 5 to a detailed set of questions regarding the authorization, scope, and impact of DOGE’s access. It also questions the unexplained visit of DOGE staff to NLRB headquarters on April 16—weeks after the alleged breach.
Official source: Download the letter (PDF)
Virginia Times will continue to monitor this developing story.
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