WASHINGTON, March 19 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Wednesday allowed the takeover of the U.S. Institute of Peace by tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, after USIP accused members of Musk’s team of occupying the building by force.

The emergency ruling came after members of Musk’s team on Monday gained access with the help of police officers to USIP, an independent, nonprofit organization funded by the U.S. Congress and whose Washington headquarters sits just across the street from the U.S. State Department.

U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell said while she was troubled by the way DOGE had entered USIP with armed police, she was not going to order a temporary halt to DOGE’s actions because there was too much confusion in the institute’s emergency lawsuit.

“I have to say I am offended on behalf of the American citizens,” Howell said, referring to the way in which DOGE had entered USIP. She said USIP staff had been treated “abominably.”

Howell said, however, that USIP had not met the high bar for a temporary restraining order, but she wanted to have another hearing on the issue.

After a dramatic standoff in which a handful of USIP staff initially locked all the doors to the building to prevent DOGE agents getting access on Monday, the agents, with the help of police, expelled the institute’s president, several staffers and an attorney from the building.

Howell described as “terrorizing” the use of armed law enforcement.

  • Feathercrown@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    Aorry about the collapse of the united states. I had to let it happen; you didn’t file your paperwork correctly.

    • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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      16 hours ago

      Oh, this makes more sense. Bro, the dude who drafted the Patriot act called this disturbing. Yeah, well, it’s your monster, Frankenstein, go get it.

  • Stamau123@lemmy.worldOP
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    1 day ago

    she was not going to order a temporary halt to DOGE’s actions because there was too much confusion in the institute’s emergency lawsuit.

    so. fucking. useless

    • KneeTitts@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago

      I think most of the ‘push back’ we are seeing from judges is going to end up being performative, its all for show. No one is pushing back, trump is raping the country just like he raped all those women.

    • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      This is exactly the reason to order a halt. What the fuck is going on? Did Hydra implant sleeper agents in every corner of government? What the fuck!

      • Lydia_K@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        Yes, they’ve been installing hand picked judges at every level for like the last two decades.

        • fluxion@lemmy.world
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          9 hours ago

          Hydra was far more clever than what’s actually required to take over the most powerful country on Earth

      • Capt. Wolf@lemmy.world
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        20 hours ago

        Actually seems very plausible… Wish I was even joking when I say that.

        The members of the American nazi movement didn’t just stop being nazis because the group disbanded during the war. No, they just went on with their lives, had kids, raised them on Nazi beliefs… And now… here we are…

        • whaleiam@lemm.ee
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          19 hours ago

          I know and they are avid supporter of a militant far right Zionist Israel. WTF

      • grue@lemmy.world
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        23 hours ago

        The fascists aren’t afraid to engage in widespread intimidation of judges to get what they want. Unless we’re willing to intimidate them even harder to force them to have the courage to do their jobs properly, they’re going to fold out of cowardice.

  • deadkennedy@lemm.ee
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    1 day ago

    the entire US government is compromised. Top to bottom it’s seeing the fascism take gold and it’s collectively saying “maybe we SHOULD be the bad guys for a change!”