In a desperate attempt to avoid accountability, bureaucrats in the Washington Swamp barricaded themselves at the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) to undermine the Trump administration’s federal mandate to reveal fraudulent government spending. The controversy was exposed in an explosive exchange at a White House press briefing.
As background, President Trump promised to dismantle bureaucratic resistance in his 2024 campaign, repeatedly emphasizing his commitment to eliminating corruption and fraud. The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), led by Elon Musk, is tasked with pursuing accountability, particularly in institutions like USIP, where evidence surfaced of massive unauthorized financial dealings with regimes such as Iran and the Taliban.
The fiery confrontation erupted after a woke reporter challenged Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt on March 29, claiming DOGE had “illegally entered” the $500 million USIP building by attempting to remove the former USIP president who refused to vacate his office, deciding to barricade inside, requiring police intervention and ultimately needing to be escorted off the premises.
Rather than taking the bait from the reporter’s biased question, Leavitt skillfully dismantled and firmly set the record straight. She said, “I’m really glad you brought this up… We were made aware of this story by individuals at Doge and Elon Musk’s team and also at the State Department, who were unable to access this building.”
Continuing to clarify the situation during the press briefing, Leavitt said, “It became very clear that there was a concerted effort amongst the rogue bureaucrats at the United States Institute of Peace to actually physically barricade themselves essentially inside of the building to prevent political appointees of this administration who work at the direction of the President of the United States to get into the building”
Further illustrating the shocking lengths the bureaucrats went to resist the DOGE advancement, Leavitt used the briefing to detail how crazy the situation was. She said, “Staff contacted the MPD in an attempt to prevent Doge personnel from entering. They barricaded the doors. They also disabled telephone lines, internet connections, and other IT infrastructure within the building.”
Concluding her statement, Leavitt reminded the press of the president’s promise during the campaign. She said, “I use this to say this is what Doge and this administration is facing. It’s a resistance from bureaucrats who don’t want to see change in this city. President Trump was elected on an overwhelming mandate to seek change and implement change, and this is unacceptable behavior. Thank you”
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Watch the exchange here:
Confirming Leavitt’s claims, DOGE posted on X highlighting the encounter. They said, “Mr. Moose denied lawful access to Kenneth Jackson, the Acting USIP President (as approved by the USIP Board).@DCPoliceDept arrived onsite and escorted Mr. Jackson into the building. The only unlawful individual was Mr. Moose, who refused to comply, and even tried to fire USIP’s private security team when said security team went to give access to Mr. Jackson.”
Users reacted to the DOGE post, outraged by the apparent incompetence and corruption. A user added, “Like so many long-term bureaucrats, Mr. Moose does not understand that the agencies, buildings, staff, and funding does not belong to them. It all belongs to we the people. And we elected Donald Trump to be the chief executive to manage them. Out with you, Mr. Moose!”
Featured image credit: screengrab from the embedded video