Anthony Armstrong, who was one of Elon Musk’s most senior allies in the federal government, left the Office of Personnel Management in April, NOTUS has learned.
OPM confirmed Armstrong’s departure from the agency, which had not been previously reported. Armstrong worked as a banker for Morgan Stanley and was reportedly involved in Musk’s deal to buy Twitter before joining the administration.
He’s not the only Musk associate to have left in recent months. Amanda Scales, who briefly served as chief of staff at OPM, and Steve Davis, a key leader at DOGE, departed to return to their roles in Musk’s companies. Brad Smith, a major health care investor who led the massive cost-cutting efforts at the Department of Health and Human Services, stepped down just before Memorial Day, according to Stat News.
But while some of Musk’s more senior allies have returned to private life, many of the billionaire’s recruits have become increasingly embedded in federal agencies and transitioned into full-time roles that aren’t directly tied to DOGE. Now, Musk and Trump’s public and nasty falling out puts a question mark over the future of Musk’s project — and his loyalists — in the federal government.
In an administration that has valued loyalty above all else — firing many federal workers declared as part of the “deep state” — it’s unclear where Musk acolytes sit in Trump’s executive branch.
A senior administration official said there aren’t security concerns about Musk-related officials continuing their work in government with DOGE, despite Musk’s fractured relationship with the administration.
DOGE’s mission, and those recruited to execute it, remain in place, the White House said.
“The mission of eliminating waste, fraud, and abuse is a part of the DNA of the federal government and will continue under the direction of the President, his cabinet, and agency heads to enhance government efficiency and prioritize responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields said.
Key Musk associates remaining in government roles include Tyler Hassen, who Interior Secretary Doug Burgum placed in charge of the significant reorganization at the agency, and Tom Krause, who is serving in a key leadership role at the Department of the Treasury.
Joe Gebbia, a co-founder of Airbnb who has been working on a project to digitize the onerous, paper-based federal government retirement process, will stay to complete it, according to OPM.
“OPM is proud of the important work Joe and the retirement team is doing to create an efficient and seamless federal retirement system. We are thankful for his commitment to seeing this project through to the finish line,” said David LaCerte, the OPM White House liaison.
Some younger DOGE staffers, including software engineers mired in controversy, recently received full-time positions in government, according to Wired.
The White House had maintained that Musk’s departure from government on Friday was amicable, but things came to a head on Thursday when Trump responded forcefully to Musk’s criticism of the reconciliation bill, a proposed legislation that encompasses a large part of Trump’s agenda.
The two sparred openly, with Trump threatening to revoke Musk’s federal contracts and Musk, in turn, saying he would decommission a rocket that has been helping supply the International Space Station, and accusing Trump of being in the Jeffrey Epstein “files.”
Musk, in a post on X replying to user, appeared to back away from his threat, but it’s not clear what action the billionaire will take.
Musk had wide-reaching power in the administration and positioned his team to have access to extensive and detailed information about federal workers’ salaries, private information about American citizens and government secrets — actions the administration is now defending in court.
The Washington Post reported Friday that the government is now battling to rehire workers and fill vital gaps left by the staff reductions spurred by DOGE. As NOTUS has previously reported, some in Trump’s orbit, like Steve Bannon, were never a fan of Musk or his operation.
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Anna Kramer is a reporter at NOTUS. Violet Jira is a NOTUS reporter and an Allbritton Journalism Institute fellow.