Edward Coristine
Tech Industry Links: Neuralink
Perhaps the most famous of the DOGE wreckers, Edward “Big Balls” Coristine achieved early attention for joining DOGE at the young age of 19. Previously, he had been a camp counselor and a summer intern at Neuralink, who grew up in wealth and joined up with hacking groups online, before eagerly jumping on to the DOGE bandwagon.
However, he has also accrued a large number of hits on his wrecking spree across the federal government, starting at the GSA on Day One and then detailing to OPM and a large number of other agencies within a short amount of time; for instance, he appears to have been DOGE’s vanguard within the Department of Homeland Security. Most recently, he has been linked to a team developing an online application for a $5 Million “Gold Card” Visa that has been promoted by Trump as a new revenue stream for the US.
Positions
Appointed:
1/20/25-5/23/25 Senior Advisor SGE, NTE 1/19/26, EF-00, excepted, volunteer «Start date and agency inferred from later reporting»
Converted to Permanent Position:
5/31/25-6/23/25 converted to permanent position Senior Advisor GS-15, $167,603 - $195,200 «Salary range for GS-15 in DC»
Offboarding:
resigned from agency 6/23/25
Appointed:
1/20/25-5/23/25 Senior Advisor SGE, NTE 1/19/26, EF-00, excepted, volunteer «Start date and agency inferred from later reporting»
Converted to Permanent Position:
5/31/25-6/23/25 converted to permanent position Senior Advisor GS-15, $167,603 - $195,200 «Salary range for GS-15 in DC»
Offboarding:
resigned from agency 6/23/25
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at OPM for "Employee 4" Document Cloud, 3/07/25 |
| Source: | Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management Wired Magazine, 1/28/25 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ No Longer Works for the US Government Wired Magazine, 6/24/25 |
| Source: | AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, doc 211-5 Court Document, 4/15/26 |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 122-2 Court Document, 2/17/26 |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at OPM for "Employee 4" Document Cloud, 3/07/25 |
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
Detailed To:
c.2/04/25 likely detailed from GSA Senior Advisor «Date unverified, but assuming predates sighting at FEMA»
Detailed To:
c.2/04/25 likely detailed from GSA Senior Advisor «Date unverified, but assuming predates sighting at FEMA»
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
Detailed To:
2/20/25 detailed from GSA
Detailed To:
2/20/25 detailed from GSA
| Source: | Directory of DOGE staff at the Department of Education Document Cloud, 4/07/25 |
Detailed To:
3/05/25 likely detailed from GSA Executive Engineer «Date verified in court document, assuming detail from GSA»
Detailed To:
3/05/25 likely detailed from GSA Executive Engineer «Date verified in court document, assuming detail from GSA»
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
Appointed:
c.6/23/25 SGE
Appointed:
c.6/23/25 SGE
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Now at the Social Security Administration Wired Magazine, 6/26/25 |
Appointed:
8/29/25? Director of Engineering
Appointed:
8/29/25? Director of Engineering
| Source: | Accessibility Matters National Design Studio, 2/27/26 |
| Source: | DOGE Operatives Are Joining Donald Trump’s New National Design Studio Wired Magazine, 8/29/25 |
| Source: | DOGE Isn’t Dead. Here’s What Its Operatives Are Doing Now Wired Magazine, 12/02/25 |
Events
1/20/25
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts as Senior Advisor at GSA.
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts as Senior Advisor at GSA.
| Appointed: | Edward Coristine 1/20/25-5/23/25 |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor, Immediate Office of the Administrator |
| Salary: | Volunteer (SGE) |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at OPM for "Employee 4" Document Cloud, 3/07/25 |
| Source: | Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management Wired Magazine, 1/28/25 |
| Note: | Start date and agency inferred from later reporting |
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: DOGE Edward Coristine 1/20/25-6/09/25 | |
| Source: | AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, doc 211-5 Court Document, 4/15/26 |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 122-2 Court Document, 2/17/26 |
1/23/25
Sighting:
A GSA employee reports meeting Kyle Schutt and Ethan Shaotran and also bumping into Edward Coristine. They are described as being giddy and interested and curious and then shifting in tone the following week with DOGE staff “frantically running around trying to do impossible shit with no context and no flexibility and no ability to push back.”
Sighting:
A GSA employee reports meeting Kyle Schutt and Ethan Shaotran and also bumping into Edward Coristine. They are described as being giddy and interested and curious and then shifting in tone the following week with DOGE staff “frantically running around trying to do impossible shit with no context and no flexibility and no ability to push back.”
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Kyle Schutt |
| Source: | The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers Wired Magazine, 9/25/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
1/24/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: OPM Edward Coristine 1/24/25-5/14/25 | |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor, Immediate Office of the Administrator |
| Salary: | Volunteer (SGE) |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at OPM for "Employee 4" Document Cloud, 3/07/25 |
| Note: | no MOU to confirm and SF-50 is for GSA, but I think he was detailed from GSA to OPM on this date based on appointment affadavit |
1/27/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA? Detailed To: USAID Edward Coristine 1/27/25 | |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor, Office of the CIO |
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
| Note: | Date at USAID reported by NYT |
Onboarding:
Still convinced that USAID is deliberately committing insubordination against the executive order, Peter Marocco arrives at USAID with DOGE staffers Luke Farritor, Edward Coristine and Clayton Cromer to audit USAID’s accounts.
Onboarding:
Still convinced that USAID is deliberately committing insubordination against the executive order, Peter Marocco arrives at USAID with DOGE staffers Luke Farritor, Edward Coristine and Clayton Cromer to audit USAID’s accounts.
| Person: | Clayton Cromer, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Peter Marocco |
| Source: | Within two weeks of President Trump’s return to the White House, U.S.A.I.D. was on the cusp of oblivion The New York Times, 6/22/25 |
| Agency: | USAID |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
System Access:
Charles Ezell sends an email to OPM IT staff stating that OPM-02 (Riccardo Biasini), OPM-04 (Edward Coristine), and OPM-06 (Nikhil Rajpal) “urgently” need access to several sensitive systems within the agency.
System Access:
Charles Ezell sends an email to OPM IT staff stating that OPM-02 (Riccardo Biasini), OPM-04 (Edward Coristine), and OPM-06 (Nikhil Rajpal) “urgently” need access to several sensitive systems within the agency.
| Person: | Charles Ezell, Edward Coristine, Nikhil Rajpal, Riccardo Biasini |
| Source: | AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, doc 121 Court Document, 6/09/25 |
| Agency: | OPM |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
1/28/25
:
:
| System Access: | USA Performance |
| : | unknown, 1/28/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | System tracking job performance of federal employees |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel |
System Access:
OPM grants OPM-02 (Riccardo Biasini), OPM-04 (Edward Coristine), and OPM-06 (Nikhil Rajpal) full administrative access to the systems USAJOBS, USA Staffing, USA Performance, eOPF, and EHRI. This access included “[c]ode read and write permissions.”
System Access:
OPM grants OPM-02 (Riccardo Biasini), OPM-04 (Edward Coristine), and OPM-06 (Nikhil Rajpal) full administrative access to the systems USAJOBS, USA Staffing, USA Performance, eOPF, and EHRI. This access included “[c]ode read and write permissions.”
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Nikhil Rajpal, Riccardo Biasini |
| Source: | AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, doc 121 Court Document, 6/09/25 |
| Agency: | OPM |
Identification:
Wired Magazine provides an early listing of which Musk-affiliated DOGE staff now have positions at OPM.
Identification:
Wired Magazine provides an early listing of which Musk-affiliated DOGE staff now have positions at OPM.
| Question: | Fuzz: didn’t name Coristine or Bobba bc of their ages, but later confirmed as them |
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Amanda Scales, Edward Coristine, Joanna Wischer, Noah Peters, Riccardo Biasini |
| Source: | Elon Musk Lackeys Have Taken Over the Office of Personnel Management Wired Magazine, 1/28/25 |
| Agency: | OPM |
1/31/25
Identification:
Wired reports that DOGE staff are attempting to get elevated access to GSA systems and making changes to office arrangements to create a special reserved floor for their staff with a security guard checking names.
Identification:
Wired reports that DOGE staff are attempting to get elevated access to GSA systems and making changes to office arrangements to create a special reserved floor for their staff with a security guard checking names.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Nicole Hollander, Steve Davis, Thomas Shedd |
| Source: | Elon Musk’s Friends Have Infiltrated Another Government Agency Wired Magazine, 1/31/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
2/03/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA? Detailed To: SBA Edward Coristine 2/03/25 | |
| Position Title: | DOGE Advisor |
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
| Note: | guessing detail date from system access request |
:
Edward Coristine is granted basic access to 3 systems at SBA.
:
Edward Coristine is granted basic access to 3 systems at SBA.
| System Access: | CAFS: Capital Access Financial System |
| : | read, 2/03/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | The main portal at the SBA for main portal for processing loan applications and servicing loans. |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
| System Access: | NFC Insight: National Finance Center Insight |
| : | read, 2/03/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | A business intelligence system that is one of the offerings of the National Finance Center, which handles payroll for 650,000 federal employees. |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel |
| System Access: | NFC Reports: National Finance Center Reporting Center |
| : | read, 2/03/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | The Reporting Center is a Web-based application page which allows managers, personnel specialists, and other employees of Federal Agencies serviced by NFC to generate Administrative Reports, Financial Reports, and Workforce Reports. |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel |
Action:
Elias Hernandez, the associate administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development at SBA, emails the director of the National Finance Center (NFC) asking for immediate admin access to the mainframe for “all SBA Personnel Office Identifiers (POIs)”. NFC is a shared service from USDA that handles payroll for roughly 150,000 federal employees across 170 agencies including the SBA.
Action:
Elias Hernandez, the associate administrator for the Office of Veterans Business Development at SBA, emails the director of the National Finance Center (NFC) asking for immediate admin access to the mainframe for “all SBA Personnel Office Identifiers (POIs)”. NFC is a shared service from USDA that handles payroll for roughly 150,000 federal employees across 170 agencies including the SBA.
| Person: | Donald Park, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
| Agency: | SBA, USDA |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel |
Action:
After being granted access to the National Finance Center for information about staff at SBA, Edward Coristine writes to an associate administrator and chief human capital officer at SBA to ask for the phone number of the CIO for the National Finance Center at USDA.
Action:
After being granted access to the National Finance Center for information about staff at SBA, Edward Coristine writes to an associate administrator and chief human capital officer at SBA to ask for the phone number of the CIO for the National Finance Center at USDA.
| Person: | Edward Coristine |
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
| Agency: | SBA |
Action:
Stephen Kucharski, director of the SBA’s Office of Performance Systems Management, emailed 19 colleagues with an urgent request: “Please help me and my OCIO colleagues as we mobilize to provide Edward Coristine and Donald Park Admin access to all SBA systems. This action has been cleared and we are on a very short time frame.” They were to be granted access to HR and procurement systems. He then follows up with the agency CIO.
Action:
Stephen Kucharski, director of the SBA’s Office of Performance Systems Management, emailed 19 colleagues with an urgent request: “Please help me and my OCIO colleagues as we mobilize to provide Edward Coristine and Donald Park Admin access to all SBA systems. This action has been cleared and we are on a very short time frame.” They were to be granted access to HR and procurement systems. He then follows up with the agency CIO.
| Person: | Donald Park, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
| Agency: | SBA |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel, Spending |
System Access:
Within three hours of the request, Edward Coristine and Donald Park are granted “admin authority” to the mainframe and read-only access to the NFC Insight and Reporting Center applications. This gives them the ability to see sensitive information like salary, banking information and even debt for employees at the SBA (and possibly other agencies)
System Access:
Within three hours of the request, Edward Coristine and Donald Park are granted “admin authority” to the mainframe and read-only access to the NFC Insight and Reporting Center applications. This gives them the ability to see sensitive information like salary, banking information and even debt for employees at the SBA (and possibly other agencies)
| Person: | Donald Park, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | How Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine and DOGE Got Access to a Federal Payroll System That Serves the FBI Wired Magazine, 7/30/25 |
| Agency: | SBA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity, Anti-Personnel |
Sighting:
Email to SBA staff announces that Edward Coristine and Donald Park were granted access to all systems including HR, contract, and payment systems.
Sighting:
Email to SBA staff announces that Edward Coristine and Donald Park were granted access to all systems including HR, contract, and payment systems.
| Person: | Donald Park, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | Tweet by Laura Barrón-López X.com, 2/03/25 |
| Agency: | SBA |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel, Spending |
c.2/04/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA? Detailed To: DHS Edward Coristine c.2/04/25 | |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor |
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
| Note: | Date unverified, but assuming predates sighting at FEMA |
2/05/25
2/07/25
:
:
| System Access: | FEMA-Go: FEMA Grants Outcomes |
| : | read, 2/07/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | A system for managing grant program for communities affected by disasters |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
2/10/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: State Edward Coristine 2/10/25 | |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor, Bureau of Diplomatic Technology |
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
Sighting:
Edward Coristine and Luke Farritor are both listed in the State Department’s directory as Senior Advisors within the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology.
Sighting:
Edward Coristine and Luke Farritor are both listed in the State Department’s directory as Senior Advisors within the Bureau of Diplomatic Technology.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor |
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
| Agency: | State |
Sighting:
Edward Coristine appears in an online DHS staff directory with the title of Senior Advisor.
Sighting:
Edward Coristine appears in an online DHS staff directory with the title of Senior Advisor.
| Person: | Edward Coristine |
| Source: | 19-year-old Musk surrogate takes on roles at State Department and DHS The Washington Post, 2/10/25 |
| Agency: | DHS |
2/12/25
Identification:
In a FOIA request, Democracy Forward names DOGE staff known to be at OPM at that time.
Identification:
In a FOIA request, Democracy Forward names DOGE staff known to be at OPM at that time.
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Amanda Scales, Anthony Armstrong, Austin Raynor, Brian Bjelde, Bryanne-Michelle Mlodzianowski, Charles Ezell, Christina Hanna, Edward Coristine, Gavin Kliger, Greg Hogan, Jacob Altik, Joanna Wischer, Justin Monroe, Nikhil Rajpal, Noah Peters, Riccardo Biasini, Stephanie Holmes, Stephen Duarte |
| Source: | Complaint for Injunctive Relief Democracy Forward, 3/03/25 |
| Agency: | OPM |
2/19/25
System Access:
Edward Coristine and Kyle Schutt are reportedly given elevated access to CISA systems, including documents and staff emails.
System Access:
Edward Coristine and Kyle Schutt are reportedly given elevated access to CISA systems, including documents and staff emails.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt |
| Source: | DOGE Now Has Access to the Top US Cybersecurity Agency Wired Magazine, 2/19/25 |
| Agency: | CISA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
2/20/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA Detailed To: Ed. Edward Coristine 2/20/25 | |
| Source: | Directory of DOGE staff at the Department of Education Document Cloud, 4/07/25 |
:
:
| System Access: | Office365: Microsoft Office 365 |
| : | admin, 2/20/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | Microsoft Office 365 is used for agency email and knowledge management systems. |
| DOGE Project: | Anti-Personnel, Impunity |
3/03/25
Sighting:
Adam Hoffman visits GSA for a meeting (likely a job interview). He is signed in to the agency by Edward Coristine.
Sighting:
Adam Hoffman visits GSA for a meeting (likely a job interview). He is signed in to the agency by Edward Coristine.
| Person: | Adam Hoffman, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | FOIA response by GSA for visitor logs in 2025 Document Cloud, 4/10/26 |
| Agency: | GSA |
3/04/25
Identification:
Wired reports that some DOGE staff (Kyle Schutt, Nate Cavanaugh) are being paid as full-time GSA employees, but other staff are listed as volunteers for that agency.
Identification:
Wired reports that some DOGE staff (Kyle Schutt, Nate Cavanaugh) are being paid as full-time GSA employees, but other staff are listed as volunteers for that agency.
| Person: | Derek Geissler, Edward Coristine, Ethan Shaotran, Kyle Schutt, Luke Farritor, Nate Cavanaugh, Nicole Hollander |
| Source: | Some DOGE Staffers Are Drawing Six-Figure Government Salaries Wired Magazine, 3/04/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
3/05/25
Detailed To:
Detailed To:
| GSA? Detailed To: HHS Edward Coristine 3/05/25 | |
| Position Title: | Executive Engineer |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
| Note: | Date verified in court document, assuming detail from GSA |
:
Edward Coristine is granted basic access to 2 systems at CMS.
:
Edward Coristine is granted basic access to 2 systems at CMS.
| System Access: | CALM: CMS Acquisition Lifecycle Management System |
| : | read, 3/05/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | System for tracking CMS acquisitions, contracts, milestones and audits. |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
| System Access: | HIGLAS: Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System |
| : | read, 3/05/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | A single, integrated dual-entry accounting system that centralizes accounting for CMS programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
System Access:
Multiple DOGE staff (Edward Coristine, Marko Elez and Aram Moghaddassi) are granted access to the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS). This system tracks all payments made by Medicare, among other expenditures.
System Access:
Multiple DOGE staff (Edward Coristine, Marko Elez and Aram Moghaddassi) are granted access to the Healthcare Integrated General Ledger Accounting System (HIGLAS). This system tracks all payments made by Medicare, among other expenditures.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Marko Elez |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
| Agency: | CMS |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
System Access:
A second wave of DOGE members detailed to HHS (Edward Coristine, Marko Elez and Aram Moghaddassi) are granted read access to the CMS Acquisition Lifestye Management System (CALM), which tracks CMS aquisitions and contracts
System Access:
A second wave of DOGE members detailed to HHS (Edward Coristine, Marko Elez and Aram Moghaddassi) are granted read access to the CMS Acquisition Lifestye Management System (CALM), which tracks CMS aquisitions and contracts
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Marko Elez |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
| Agency: | CMS |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
Identification:
The Intercept receives a list of 30 DOGE staffers working within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), including 4 lawyers previously not listed
Identification:
The Intercept receives a list of 30 DOGE staffers working within the Executive Office of the President (EOP), including 4 lawyers previously not listed
| Person: | Ashley Boizelle, Edward Coristine, Joshua Fox, Joshua Hanley, Justin Aimonetti, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Steve Davis |
| Source: | Leaked List Shows DOGE is Lawyering Up The Intercept, 3/05/25 |
| Agency: | DOGE |
3/11/25
:
:
| System Access: | IDR: Integrated Data Repository |
| : | read, 3/11/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | A data warehouse that receives all Medicare claims after they have been approved for payment |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration |
3/13/25
Identification:
As later reported in a declaration in AFL-CIO et al. vs. Department of Labor, HHS employee Mark Samburg finds DOGE staff at the agency listed in an online directory as Executive Engineers (and Rachel Riley as a Senior Advisor).
Identification:
As later reported in a declaration in AFL-CIO et al. vs. Department of Labor, HHS employee Mark Samburg finds DOGE staff at the agency listed in an online directory as Executive Engineers (and Rachel Riley as a Senior Advisor).
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Rachel Riley |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 53-4 Court Document, 3/13/25 |
| Agency: | HHS |
3/20/25
Identification:
Wired Magazine list DOGE staff stationed within GSA, all of whom were listed on GSA payroll on March 20, the same day Stephen Ehikian claimed there were no DOGE staff in the agency.
Identification:
Wired Magazine list DOGE staff stationed within GSA, all of whom were listed on GSA payroll on March 20, the same day Stephen Ehikian claimed there were no DOGE staff in the agency.
| Person: | Ashley Boizelle, Edward Coristine, Jeremy Lewin, Justin Aimonetti, Kyle Schutt, Luke Farritor, Nate Cavanaugh, Nicole Hollander, Riley Sennott, Thomas Shedd |
| Source: | ‘Who Is DOGE?’ Has Become a Metaphysical Question Wired Magazine, 4/24/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
3/28/25
System Access:
USCIS CIO William McElhaney sends a message to DHS Deputy Secretary asking them to review access that was granted to DOGE staffers Kyle Schutt, Edward Coristine, Aram Moghaddassi and Payton Rehling.
System Access:
USCIS CIO William McElhaney sends a message to DHS Deputy Secretary asking them to review access that was granted to DOGE staffers Kyle Schutt, Edward Coristine, Aram Moghaddassi and Payton Rehling.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt, Payton Rehling |
| Source: | DOGE granted access to naturalization-related IT systems, memo shows FedScoop, 4/02/25 |
| Agency: | USCIS |
3/29/25
Identification:
In response to a discovery request made in AFL-CIO vs. DOL, the government provides an incomplete list of DOGE staff who have worked at HHS.
Identification:
In response to a discovery request made in AFL-CIO vs. DOL, the government provides an incomplete list of DOGE staff who have worked at HHS.
| Person: | Amy Gleason, Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
| Agency: | HHS |
Legal:
In a legal filing, the DOJ identifies 4 DOGE staffers - Edward Coristine, Marko Elez, Luke Farritor and Amy Gleason - as present at CMS. It omits the names of several other staffers with access to the CALM system.
Legal:
In a legal filing, the DOJ identifies 4 DOGE staffers - Edward Coristine, Marko Elez, Luke Farritor and Amy Gleason - as present at CMS. It omits the names of several other staffers with access to the CALM system.
| Person: | Amy Gleason, Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Jeremy Lewin, Luke Farritor, Marko Elez, Zach Terrell |
| Source: | AFL-CIO v. DOL, doc 73-2 Court Document, 3/29/25 |
| Agency: | CMS |
3/XX/25
Disruption:
Kyle Schutt and Edward Coristine repeatedly pressure staff over the next two months at DHS to use Grok, a chatbot from Elon Musk’s xAI, despite the fact it had not been approved for use in the agency. A DHS spokesperson later denied the allegations.
Disruption:
Kyle Schutt and Edward Coristine repeatedly pressure staff over the next two months at DHS to use Grok, a chatbot from Elon Musk’s xAI, despite the fact it had not been approved for use in the agency. A DHS spokesperson later denied the allegations.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt |
| Source: | Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns Reuters, 5/23/25 |
| Agency: | DHS |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization |
4/08/25
Identification:
A partial copy of the GSA’s A-Suite access list includes multiple DOGE personnel who are listed as based in GSA.
Identification:
A partial copy of the GSA’s A-Suite access list includes multiple DOGE personnel who are listed as based in GSA.
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Nate Cavanaugh, Stephen Ehikian, Steve Davis |
| Source: | DOGE officials across government appear on GSA’s shortlist of vetted personnel Federal News Network, 4/08/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
4/11/25
Identification:
Politico profiles a DOGE immigration task force that is located within DHS but has contacts with DOGE staff at other agencies. It includes multiple DOGE staffers detailed from various agencies.
Identification:
Politico profiles a DOGE immigration task force that is located within DHS but has contacts with DOGE staff at other agencies. It includes multiple DOGE staffers detailed from various agencies.
| Person: | Antonio Gracias, Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt, Marko Elez, Payton Rehling |
| Source: | Inside the DOGE immigration task force Politico, 4/11/25 |
| Agency: | DHS |
| DOGE Project: | Immigration |
4/16/25
Interagency Coordination:
Three DOGE staffers – Marko Elez, Edward Coristine and Joe Gebbia – are reported to be working with staff from DHS, the State Department and USCIS on implementing an application process for a $5 Million “Gold Card” visa. It is unclear what agencies they are working for and how this partnership has been structured.
Interagency Coordination:
Three DOGE staffers – Marko Elez, Edward Coristine and Joe Gebbia – are reported to be working with staff from DHS, the State Department and USCIS on implementing an application process for a $5 Million “Gold Card” visa. It is unclear what agencies they are working for and how this partnership has been structured.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Joe Gebbia, Marko Elez |
| Source: | Musk’s Team Is Building a System to Sell ‘Gold Card’ Immigrant Visas The New York Times, 4/16/25 |
| Agency: | DHS, DOGE, USCIS |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization |
4/XX/25
Sighting:
A contractor at GSA states that he came across a list of staff at GSA who had not yet completed all of their mandatory security training. This included prominent DOGE staff that had been at the agency for several months like Thomas Shedd, Josh Gruenbaum, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor and Steve Davis.
Sighting:
A contractor at GSA states that he came across a list of staff at GSA who had not yet completed all of their mandatory security training. This included prominent DOGE staff that had been at the agency for several months like Thomas Shedd, Josh Gruenbaum, Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor and Steve Davis.
| Question: | Fuzz: only month is given in report |
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Josh Gruenbaum, Luke Farritor, Steve Davis, Thomas Shedd |
| Source: | The Story of DOGE, as Told by Federal Workers Wired Magazine, 9/25/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
| DOGE Project: | Impunity |
Disruption:
A team of three DOGE staffers – Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor and Zach Terrell – meet with chief grant management officials at NIH to demand changes in how grants are issued under DOGE’s new “Defend the Spend” authority over all grant disbursement.
Disruption:
A team of three DOGE staffers – Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor and Zach Terrell – meet with chief grant management officials at NIH to demand changes in how grants are issued under DOGE’s new “Defend the Spend” authority over all grant disbursement.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor, Zach Terrell |
| Source: | Harvard Was Cleared To Get Some Federal Funds. Then DOGE Stepped In. The Harvard Crimson, 9/08/25 |
| Agency: | NIH |
| DOGE Project: | Spending |
5/14/25
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine ends detailed position as Senior Advisor at OPM
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine ends detailed position as Senior Advisor at OPM
| GSA Detailed To: OPM Edward Coristine 1/24/25-5/14/25 | |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor, Immediate Office of the Administrator |
| Salary: | Volunteer (SGE) |
| Source: | Onboarding documentation at OPM for "Employee 4" Document Cloud, 3/07/25 |
| Note: | no MOU to confirm and SF-50 is for GSA, but I think he was detailed from GSA to OPM on this date based on appointment affadavit |
5/16/25
Identification:
In a response to a FOIA request made by American Oversight, SBA provides a list of all people who have been identified as communicating on agency head Kelly Loefler’s behalf. It includes a number of people known to be DOGE and others with the title Senior Advisor who might also be doge.gov
Identification:
In a response to a FOIA request made by American Oversight, SBA provides a list of all people who have been identified as communicating on agency head Kelly Loefler’s behalf. It includes a number of people known to be DOGE and others with the title Senior Advisor who might also be doge.gov
| Person: | Akash Bobba, Aram Moghaddassi, Conor Fennessy, Donald Park, Edward Coristine, Ethan Damiano, Jordan Wick, Joshua Carter, Micaela Lopez Ballefin, Patricia Gibson, Riley Sennott |
| Source: | SBA Response to American Oversight FOIA Request Document Cloud, 7/15/25 |
| Agency: | SBA |
5/23/25
Disruption:
Reuters reports that DOGE staffers Kyle Schutt and Edward Coristine have attempted to gain access to DHS employee emails in recent months and ordered staff to train AI to identify communications suggesting an employee is not “loyal” to Trump’s political agenda. Given earlier reports, the AI in question is like xAi’s “Grok” AI system.
Disruption:
Reuters reports that DOGE staffers Kyle Schutt and Edward Coristine have attempted to gain access to DHS employee emails in recent months and ordered staff to train AI to identify communications suggesting an employee is not “loyal” to Trump’s political agenda. Given earlier reports, the AI in question is like xAi’s “Grok” AI system.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Kyle Schutt |
| Source: | Exclusive: Musk’s DOGE expanding his Grok AI in US government, raising conflict concerns Reuters, 5/23/25 |
| Agency: | DHS |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization, Anti-Personnel |
5/31/25
Converted to Permanent Position:
Edward Coristine converted to permanent paid position as Senior Advisor at GSA
Converted to Permanent Position:
Edward Coristine converted to permanent paid position as Senior Advisor at GSA
| Converted to Permanent Position: | Edward Coristine 5/31/25-6/23/25 |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor |
| Salary: | $167,603 - $195,200 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ No Longer Works for the US Government Wired Magazine, 6/24/25 |
| Note: | Salary range for GS-15 in DC |
Report:
Edward Coristine and Luke Farritor’s roles are both converted into regular positions at the GSA at the GS-15 level, which would mean an annual salary of $167,603 - $195,200 in Washington, DC. This is the maximum level possible for a general government worker, and it often takes years or decades to reach. It would not normally be granted to staff with such limited work experience.
Report:
Edward Coristine and Luke Farritor’s roles are both converted into regular positions at the GSA at the GS-15 level, which would mean an annual salary of $167,603 - $195,200 in Washington, DC. This is the maximum level possible for a general government worker, and it often takes years or decades to reach. It would not normally be granted to staff with such limited work experience.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Luke Farritor |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Officially a Full-Time Government Employee Wired Magazine, 6/04/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
6/09/25
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine ends detailed position at DOGE
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine ends detailed position at DOGE
| GSA Detailed To: DOGE Edward Coristine 1/20/25-6/09/25 | |
| Source: | AFGE, AFL-CIO v. OPM, doc 211-5 Court Document, 4/15/26 |
| Source: | The Authors Guild/American Council of Learned Societies v. National Endowment for the Humanities, doc 122-2 Court Document, 2/17/26 |
6/23/25
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine leaves role as Senior Advisor at GSA
Offboarding:
Edward Coristine leaves role as Senior Advisor at GSA
| Converted to Permanent Position: | Edward Coristine 5/31/25-6/23/25 |
| Position Title: | Senior Advisor |
| Salary: | $167,603 - $195,200 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ No Longer Works for the US Government Wired Magazine, 6/24/25 |
| Note: | Salary range for GS-15 in DC |
Sighting:
Edward Coristine is reportedly sighted at the Woodlawn, MD location of the Social Security Administration alongside Aram Moghaddassi. It is later confirmed that he is now working as a Special Government Employee (SGE) for the agency after he had resigned his position at GSA.
Sighting:
Edward Coristine is reportedly sighted at the Woodlawn, MD location of the Social Security Administration alongside Aram Moghaddassi. It is later confirmed that he is now working as a Special Government Employee (SGE) for the agency after he had resigned his position at GSA.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Now at the Social Security Administration Wired Magazine, 6/26/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
Offboarding:
Less than a month after he was officially hired at GSA, Edward Coristine reportedly resigns his position and is removed from the building directory.
Offboarding:
Less than a month after he was officially hired at GSA, Edward Coristine reportedly resigns his position and is removed from the building directory.
| Person: | Edward Coristine |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ No Longer Works for the US Government Wired Magazine, 6/24/25 |
| Agency: | GSA |
c.6/23/25
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts at SSA.
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts at SSA.
| Appointed: | Edward Coristine c.6/23/25 |
| Source: | ‘Big Balls’ Is Now at the Social Security Administration Wired Magazine, 6/26/25 |
:
:
| System Access: | NUMIDENT: Numerical Identification System |
| : | read, c.6/23/25 Edward Coristine |
| Note: | NUMIDENT files that have been extracted from SSA systems, these contain SSNs for everybody |
| DOGE Project: | Fraud, Impunity |
8/11/25
Action:
Expressing concerns that the lax security of DOGE’s cloud could lead to the leak of every American’s social security number (and the requirement ro reissue new ones), the Chief Data Officer of the Social Security Administration contacts Edward Coristine and John Solly to request information about the security of DOGE’s cloud. He is never granted a reply and learns that the SSA Office of General Counsel (headed by DOGE member Mark Steffensen) has advised employees not to respond to his inquiries.
Action:
Expressing concerns that the lax security of DOGE’s cloud could lead to the leak of every American’s social security number (and the requirement ro reissue new ones), the Chief Data Officer of the Social Security Administration contacts Edward Coristine and John Solly to request information about the security of DOGE’s cloud. He is never granted a reply and learns that the SSA Office of General Counsel (headed by DOGE member Mark Steffensen) has advised employees not to respond to his inquiries.
| Person: | Aram Moghaddassi, Edward Coristine, John Solly, Mark Steffensen |
| Source: | Protected Whistleblower Disclosure of Charles Borges Regarding Violation of Laws, Rules & Regulations, Abuse of Authority, Gross Mismanagement, and Substantial and Specific Threat to Public Health and Safety at the Social Security Administration Government Accountability Project, 8/08/25 |
| Agency: | SSA |
| DOGE Project: | Fraud, Impunity |
8/29/25?
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts as Director of Engineering at NDS.
Appointed:
Edward Coristine starts as Director of Engineering at NDS.
| Appointed: | Edward Coristine 8/29/25? |
| Position Title: | Director of Engineering |
| Source: | Accessibility Matters National Design Studio, 2/27/26 |
| Source: | DOGE Operatives Are Joining Donald Trump’s New National Design Studio Wired Magazine, 8/29/25 |
| Source: | DOGE Isn’t Dead. Here’s What Its Operatives Are Doing Now Wired Magazine, 12/02/25 |
11/25/25
Website:
The Department of Energy launches a new “Genesis Mission” to heavily use AI tools for scientific research. The website for this endeavor is created by the National Design Studio and features the classic hallmarks of their work: bold fonts on a black background with animations all on a single page with no navigation and an email signup form. According to Edward Coristine’s twitter account, this page took 3 weeks to make.
Website:
The Department of Energy launches a new “Genesis Mission” to heavily use AI tools for scientific research. The website for this endeavor is created by the National Design Studio and features the classic hallmarks of their work: bold fonts on a black background with animations all on a single page with no navigation and an email signup form. According to Edward Coristine’s twitter account, this page took 3 weeks to make.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Joe Gebbia |
| Source: | Genesis Mission Dept. of Energy, |
| Source: | Tweet from Edward Coristine's X account X.com, 11/25/25 |
| Source: | Tweet from Joe Gebbia's X account X.com, 11/25/25 |
| Agency: | DOE, NDS |
| DOGE Project: | IT Modernization |
12/26/25
Website:
The National Design Studio launches a new blog named “Dev Index” with an article written about the modernization work at OPM for digitizing retirements that apparently has moved over to the NDS from OPM with Joe Gebbia. The article is written by Yat Choi and Dennis Li and thanks Edward Coristine and Zach Terrell for reviewing the content.
Website:
The National Design Studio launches a new blog named “Dev Index” with an article written about the modernization work at OPM for digitizing retirements that apparently has moved over to the NDS from OPM with Joe Gebbia. The article is written by Yat Choi and Dennis Li and thanks Edward Coristine and Zach Terrell for reviewing the content.
| Person: | Dennis Li, Edward Coristine, Yat Choi, Zach Terrell |
| Source: | How We Automated Federal Retirements National Design Studio, 12/26/25 |
| Agency: | NDS |
2/21/26
Report:
In a tweet on his personal account on X, Edward Coristine claims that the source code for freedom.gov will be open-sourced for public review.
Report:
In a tweet on his personal account on X, Edward Coristine claims that the source code for freedom.gov will be open-sourced for public review.
| Person: | Edward Coristine |
| Source: | Tweet by Edward Coristine X.com, 2/21/26 |
| Agency: | NDS |
2/23/26
Identification:
An article on the National Design Studio in NextGov lists several people as associated with National Design Studio, including some names that hadn’t been mentioned previously.
Identification:
An article on the National Design Studio in NextGov lists several people as associated with National Design Studio, including some names that hadn’t been mentioned previously.
| Person: | Braden Steffaniak, Caelin Sutch, Edward Coristine, Greg Hogan, Jaylee Adams, Joe Gebbia, Kaitlyn Koller, Nate Brown, Tai Groot, Tyler Kim |
| Source: | New White House design team aims for ‘delightful’ websites — changing design ethos in the process NextGov, 2/23/26 |
| Agency: | NDS |
2/27/26
Official Action:
Posting with the title of Director of Engineering, Edward Coristine publishes a blog post on the National Design Studio website about how NDS is elevating the importance of accessibility in its designs and citing its work on trumprx.gov specifically.
Official Action:
Posting with the title of Director of Engineering, Edward Coristine publishes a blog post on the National Design Studio website about how NDS is elevating the importance of accessibility in its designs and citing its work on trumprx.gov specifically.
| Person: | Edward Coristine |
| Source: | Accessibility Matters National Design Studio, 2/27/26 |
| Agency: | NDS |
4/03/26
Report:
Edward Coristine appeared on the podcast of conservative influencer Nick Shirley to discuss efforts from DOGE to search for fraud. During the podcast, they discussed the new Medicaid dataset released by DOGE. On the podcast, Coristine alleges that a lot of federal money is being stolen and siphoned out of the country by immigrants as well as disproven theories that a lot of dead people are receiving social security benefits and are registered to vote. Coristine also discussed the NDS, and revealed that the chief creative office is Nate Brown.
Report:
Edward Coristine appeared on the podcast of conservative influencer Nick Shirley to discuss efforts from DOGE to search for fraud. During the podcast, they discussed the new Medicaid dataset released by DOGE. On the podcast, Coristine alleges that a lot of federal money is being stolen and siphoned out of the country by immigrants as well as disproven theories that a lot of dead people are receiving social security benefits and are registered to vote. Coristine also discussed the NDS, and revealed that the chief creative office is Nate Brown.
| Person: | Edward Coristine, Nate Brown |
| Source: | Edward ‘Big Balls’ Coristine Is Helping Out on Viral Fraud Videos Now Wired Magazine, 4/03/26 |
| Agency: | CMS, HHS, OPM |
Open Questions
- Now that Edward Coristine has left the GSA, does that mean that all his detailing agreements have ended? How many of them were still open?