Judge Orders Viral DOGE Deposition Videos Taken Down

The videos of former DOGE employees testifying about grant cuts had sparked widespread ridicule and harassment.

Mar. 13, 2026 at 11:20pm

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A Manhattan judge ordered the removal of video depositions of two former employees of Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) that had gone viral on social media, after the government said the videos led to harassment and death threats against one of the witnesses. The videos were posted online by scholarly groups suing to restore grants that DOGE had cut, but the judge ruled they must be taken down immediately.

Why it matters

The case highlights the tension between transparency around government actions and the protection of witnesses, as well as the potential for viral social media content to cause real-world harm. The DOGE grant cuts had caused upheaval across federal agencies, and the videos offered a rare glimpse into the decision-making process, but the judge determined the public interest was outweighed by the risk to the individuals involved.

The details

The videos featured testimony from Justin Fox and Nate Cavanaugh, former DOGE employees who acknowledged using ChatGPT to identify grants that ran afoul of a Trump executive order banning 'radical and wasteful government D.E.I. programs.' The videos went viral after being posted as part of a court filing by the scholarly groups suing DOGE, drawing widespread ridicule for the employees' justifications of the grant cuts. This prompted the government to request the videos be removed, citing harassment and threats against the witnesses.

  • On Friday, the judge ordered the videos be taken down immediately.
  • On Tuesday, the judge will hold a hearing on the matter.

The players

Elon Musk

The founder of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Justin Fox

A former DOGE employee whose deposition video went viral and led to harassment and death threats.

Nate Cavanaugh

Another former DOGE employee who testified in a deposition that was posted online.

Colleen McMahon

The Manhattan federal judge who ordered the deposition videos to be removed from the internet.

American Council of Learned Societies, American Historical Association, Modern Language Association, Authors Guild

The scholarly groups suing to restore the grants cut by DOGE.

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What they’re saying

“That would not be in the public interest, given that the videos concern testimony from senior government officials on matters of great public concern.”

— The scholarly groups (The New York Times)

What’s next

The judge will hold a hearing on Tuesday to further consider the matter of the deposition videos.

The takeaway

This case highlights the delicate balance between transparency around government actions and the need to protect witnesses from harassment and threats, as well as the potential for viral social media content to cause real-world harm even when the public interest may be served by its release.