Reps. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) and Gwen Moore (D-Wisc.) unexpectedly stormed into House Speaker Mike Johnson’s office, challenging him over Elon Musk’s team’s access to a Treasury Department payment system.
Their intrusion occurred soon after Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent arrived at the speaker’s office to discuss how to carry out President Donald Trump’s tax agenda, amid a growing Democratic backlash against Musk’s takeover of the federal government. Moore, however, claimed that when she and Chu confronted Johnson, Bessent was not present.
“Gwen Moore forced her way in there, and then I got to go in right behind her,” Chu told reporters. “And she was already confronting Speaker Johnson about Treasury Secretary Bessent and the stealing of Americans’ private information, tax information that should never be stolen and given to this billionaire Elon Musk.”
Last weekend, Bessent provided access to the payments system to members of Musk’s alleged Department of Government Efficiency while in Johnson’s office meeting with House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.). Trillions of dollars in tax refunds, Social Security payments, and numerous other government operations are managed by the system.
Musk’s team currently has “read-only” access to the system, the Treasury Department informed lawmakers on Tuesday, and their review “is not resulting” in any delays or suspensions of federal agency-approved disbursements.
Chu’s and Moore’s actions were condemned by a witness to the incident at Johnson’s office.
“In the face of incredibly rude, extremely aggressive and frankly unhinged behavior, the Speaker was more than gracious and allowed the members into his personal office to hear their concerns,” said the person, who asked not to be named to freely discuss the matter.
A spokesperson for Chu tried to claim that was not an accurate portrayal.
“She never barged, or shoved her way, into anything. She politely joined the meeting already occurring and the Speaker invited her in for a brief, civil discussion. The Secretary was not present, and she left immediately afterwards,” said Chu’s communication director, Graeme Crews, in a statement.
Johnson made headlines earlier this month when he formed a new panel to investigate the Democrat-led January 6 Committee amid allegations that members hid or destroyed evidence exonerating President Donald Trump.
The original committee was led by Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) and then-Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.). It was essentially hand-picked by then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.). At the time, she resorted to an unprecedented measure of refusing to allow the GOP minority to choose their own members for the panel, so then-House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) refused to participate at all.
Eventually, now-former GOP Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois, who had also turned against Trump, joined Cheney on the committee.
Rep. Barry Loudermilk, a Republican from Georgia, will chair the upcoming select subcommittee, which will be part of the House Judiciary Committee.
Loudermilk conducted his investigation into January 6 within the House Administration Committee and had long requested Johnson to separate the probe into its entity.
Since the new panel will be a “select” subcommittee, that means the Speaker will have sole authority to decide which members of the House will sit on it.
It comes as several Republicans, including Johnson, have brushed off questions about President Trump’s decision to pardon nearly all of those who were convicted of participating in the riot at the U.S. Capitol Building on Jan. 6, 2021.
Most of those who were pardoned were convicted of low-level misdemeanors, though a few others were charged and convicted of assaulting police officers.
“House Republicans are proud of our work so far in exposing the false narratives peddled by the politically motivated January 6 Select Committee during the 117th Congress, but there is still more work to be done,” Johnson said in a statement. “We are establishing this Select Subcommittee to continue our efforts to uncover the full truth that is owed to the American people.”
