Two employees from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) were given accounts on highly classified nuclear networks, according to public broadcaster NPR.
Adam Ramada, a Miami-based venture capitalist, and Luke Farritor, a former ex-SpaceX intern, reportedly had their names added to secure systems that contain sensitive US nuclear weapons information. Both had no prior experience working with nuclear material or classified information before joining DOGE.
The Department of Energy initially called the report "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," they said in an email to NPR.
Later, the department admitted the accounts existed but insisted they were never used. "DOE is able to confirm that these accounts in question were never activated and have never been accessed," they said.
Sources told NPR said they saw both names listed in the network directories. These directories are viewable by thousands of authorised employees at nuclear facilities across the US, but actual access to the systems is tightly controlled.
Experts said that having an account alone does not grant access to restricted information. Even within secure networks, content is heavily siloed and shared strictly on a need-to-know basis.
Earlier this year, DOGE staff reportedly attempted to access these top-secret systems, triggering concerns among national security experts. At the time, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said that DOGE did not have the required security clearances. While no classified material is known to have been accessed, experts still warned of trouble.
The incident adds to growing scrutiny over DOGE's handling of sensitive government data.
In recent weeks, two separate federal judges issued injunctions barring DOGE from accessing critical databases.
One ruling blocked access to Treasury Department records that include Americans' Social Security numbers and financial details.
Another judge extended a ban on DOGE's access to Social Security data, warning that such "unprecedented" access could cause "irreparable harm" to citizens' privacy.
