Bessent defends Musk access, as Democrats push inquiry

Bessent on Musk, IRS, Tax Cliff

Elon Musk’s government efficiency team hasn’t yet requested access to IRS and individual taxpayer data, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV, coming amid a growing outcry over the billionaire’s access.

“We will take that when it comes to it,” Bessent said. “I think there is a lot to do there.”

Bessent told Bloomberg reporter Saleha Mohsin he personally vetted the Treasury employees on Musk’s team with read-only access to federal payment data, and that there’s been no “tinkering” with the payment systems. This access gives Musk, who has his own business interests, ...