I imagine most of my readers are not going to make much of this, but since I’m trying to capture everything here for posterity, note that I was mentioned briefly in an article in the Japanese newspaper Yomiuri Shimbun last Saturday.
Notice my photo there in the lower right corner of the page. On the off chance that you read Japanese, you can click on the image above to see a high-resolution version on the off chance that you read Japanese.
Here’s a (machine) translation of the section of the article that mentions me:
In an executive order issued on January 20, the first day of his inauguration, Trump reorganized a White House department called the “US Digital Service,” which was responsible for managing the federal government’s IT systems, to create DOGE.
The true nature of this organization remains shrouded in secrecy. When the staff were hired, they were exempted by the President from background checks and drug tests that intelligence agencies use to check whether they are foreign spies. Details of the staff are not made public, which has been criticized as a lack of accountability to the public and Congress.
“DOGE staff were given special badges that allowed them to enter any government building. They were based in a room in a building adjacent to the White House, but no one knew what they were doing.” Jonathan Kamens (55) (pictured), who was fired from US Digital Services in February, reveals the strangeness of the organization.
When US media tracked them down, they found that most DOGE staff are in their teens to 30s. Some are said to have a history of being inclined toward white supremacy. “They were exempt from background checks because they are the kind of people who would not pass a rigorous test. It is very worrying that such people have access to a highly confidential system,” Kamens points out.
The article is online here, but it’s behind a paywall.
