Boston College History Professor Heather Cox Richardson criticized Elon Musk and his associates for their alleged invasion of data held by federal agencies, describing it as a “coup” against the United States in a livestream to her 2.5 million Facebook followers on Sunday.
“It is the largest data breach in human history,” Richardson said. “Everything that the federal government has handled is potentially right now in Elon Musk’s hands.”
Richardson, a historian specializing in the Civil War, the American West, and Reconstruction, gained widespread recognition for her Substack newsletter, Letters from an American, which contextualizes current political events within American history.
She began the newsletter in 2019 during President Trump’s first impeachment inquiry and now has over 2 million subscribers—the most of any individual author on Substack.
According to reports, Musk and the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) swept through federal agencies—including the Treasury Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)—gaining access to sensitive information. They have also worked to dismantle key programs, aligning with his and President Donald Trump’s broader efforts to reform the federal bureaucracy.
Last Friday, Musk and his team gained access to the Treasury Department’s federal payment system, which processes nearly $6 trillion annually and serves as the financial backbone of the federal government, according to Richardson.
“Every time that somebody has any kind of financial doings with the government, the fingers of the U.S. government payment system are on those exchanges,” Richardson said. “That would be your social security number. That would be your tax refunds. If you’re a federal employee, that would be your paychecks.”
Richardson underscored the scale and impact of Musk’s access.
“The extraordinary breaches here of American law, and of the Constitution, and of American national security are what I characterized this morning on social media as a coup,” Richardson said.
She also criticized Musk’s efforts to assess and block federal payments he considers “illegal,” arguing that he lacks the legal authority to do so. The consequences, she warned, could be devastating for organizations reliant on government funding.
“You’re looking at hospitals that don’t get grants,” Richardson said. “You’re looking at law enforcement that suddenly can’t make payroll. You’re looking at all the places where the federal government has been active in the United States, suddenly at the mercy of Elon Musk.”
Similarly, Musk reportedly attempted to access USAID’s internal systems. Initially, his representatives were blocked by security officials, but after those officials were placed on leave, the treasury secretary granted Musk access.
Richardson said officials should now assume the security of State Department intelligence data could be jeopardized.
“Musk’s people now potentially have had access to U.S. intelligence computers and that means they’re all compromised,” Richardson said.
Richardson stressed the urgency of the situation, warning that Musk’s unchecked power threatens democratic governance.
“This is not about politics or partisanship,” Richardson said. “This is about whether or not we want the United States government to be in the hands of a single man, a single billionaire, who at this moment, is sitting there tweeting on X that he is cutting programs and policies that the U.S. Congress established. We’re in a constitutional crisis, but it’s not over.”
In an October lecture at BC, Richardson warned of American democracy’s fragility and emphasized the crucial role of citizens, particularly women, in protecting it.
In response to what she has called Musk’s illegal actions, Richardson urged Americans to act swiftly to prevent further damage.
“There is still time to turn this around, but we have to move as quickly as they do,” Richardson said.
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