New Delhi: US Vice President J.D.Vance has defended a staffer in tech billionaire Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who had resigned after questions were raised about his history of racist social media posts, and said that he needs to be brought back.
Marko Elez, a 25-year-old programmer, was set to work with the US Treasury’s payment system. He had posted statements on X supporting eugenics and expressing hostility toward Indian immigrants.
In a statement on X, Vance responded to Musk’s poll on whether Elez should be brought back and asked if “stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life.”
“Here’s my view: I obviously disagree with some of Elez’s posts, but I don’t think stupid social media activity should ruin a kid’s life,” he wrote.
We shouldn’t reward journalists who try to destroy people. Ever. So I say bring him back. If he’s a bad dude or a terrible member of the team, fire him for that.”
Also read: ‘Normalise Indian Hate’: DOGE Staffer Marko Elez Resigns After Racist Social Media Posts Surface
In one of his old posts, Elez endorsed a “eugenic immigration policy.” Another post from September said, “You could not pay me to marry outside of my ethnicity.”
He also encouraged users to “normalise Indian hate,” referring to the presence of Indian workers in Silicon Valley.
In response to Vance’s statement, Democrat Congressman Ro Khanna asked whether the Vice President would ask Elez to apologise for saying “normalise Indian hate” for the “sake of both our children”. While Khanna is of Indian origin, Vance is married to Indian-American Usha Vance.
Vance responded to Khanna in a series of tweets and said that “racist trolls on the internet, while offensive, don’t threaten my kids”.
I don’t worry about my kids making mistakes, or developing views they later regret. I don’t even worry that much about trolls on the internet. You know what I do worry about, Ro?
AdvertisementThat they’ll grow up to be a US Congressmen who engages in emotional blackmail over a kid’s social…
— JD Vance (@JDVance) February 7, 2025
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Earlier the White House when asked about Elez’s posts had confirmed his resignation through press secretary Karoline Leavitt. His departure has also raised concerns about the vetting process for DOGE appointees.
