In yet another twist in the saga of Elon Musk’s DOGE team, NPR has ignited controversy by alleging that two of its members gained access to classified networks containing sensitive nuclear secrets.
According to a report by NPR, which relied on two unnamed sources, the two individuals involved are Luke Farritor, a 23-year-old former intern at SpaceX, and Adam Ramada, a venture capitalist based in Miami. The report claims these DOGE employees have had access to classified systems used by the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) within the Department of Energy (DOE) for at least two weeks.
“Two members of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have been given accounts on classified networks that hold highly guarded details about America’s nuclear weapons, two independent sources tell NPR,” the report stated.
However, the DOE swiftly refuted NPR’s claims, asserting that the reporting is inaccurate. A spokesperson stated, “This reporting is false. No DOGE personnel have accessed these NNSA systems. The two DOGE individuals in question worked within the agency for several days and departed DOE in February.”
NPR’s sources suggested that while Farritor and Ramada appeared in a directory of the classified network, that does not equate to actual access to sensitive nuclear information.
Earlier this year, CNN had also covered a similar story, clarifying that Farritor was granted access to basic IT services, such as email and Microsoft 365, but not to any critical systems managing the nation’s nuclear stockpile.
“Farritor was granted access to basic IT including email and Microsoft 365, one of the people said. The chief information office only does a small amount of IT and cybersecurity work for the National Nuclear Security Administration, they said, including providing connectivity and running basic internet services for NNSA’s headquarters. It does not run IT systems for the nuclear agency’s labs controlling the nation’s nuclear stockpile,” CNN reported earlier this year.
Even CNBC entered the fray, echoing the dubious claims back in February. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright took a definitive stance on the matter, stating, “I’ve heard these rumors. They’re like seeing our nuclear secrets. None of that is true at all,” during an interview with CNBC.
