(NewsNation) — A data scientist says she is harnessing the power of AI to uncover corruption and waste within the U.S. government.
NewsNation’s Brian Entin has the first interview with the tech genius using AI to discover alleged government waste and corruption for DOGE.
Known as the “DataRepublican,” her work has gained the attention of billionaire Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. However, despite the notoriety, she says it has also led to threats against her.
“Honestly, I don’t know, you’d have to ask him. But I’m grateful,” she said of how Musk found her X account. “Since then, it’s just been a whirlwind.”
The pair do not communicate directly, but she describes her relationship with DOGE as a working one.
What does the ‘DataRepublican’ know?
She met with NewsNation senior national correspondent Brian Entin in an undisclosed location to share her findings in a television first.
“I cannot tell you enough how much both are involved,” she told NewsNation. “It is everywhere.”
As for how much taxpayer money is being wasted or stolen?
“Whew. If I had to guess, I would say it is over $100 billion. But what is more important is what they are doing with that money,” she said.
The “DataRepublican’s” current project is targeting corruption within the government and, more specifically, those who benefit from it.
“[I am working] on analyzing connections and relationships between people in the government because if you research people long enough, you start to notice that they’re all working together, they’re all married, that they’re all in-laws,” she said.
“They know each other. They all sit on the same board for many years, and that’s my project, to map those relationships.”
What is DOGE currently doing?
DOGE is working to reduce the federal government workforce and has announced billions in government budget cuts.
Musk and President Trump have repeatedly claimed it is necessary due to what they say is excess government waste, both in employment and organizations.
The IRS laid off nearly 7,000 employees last week, and they aren’t the only federal workers that have been laid off.
Naturally, DOGE’s initiatives have led to criticism from some and praise from others.
Rep. John Cabello, R-Ill., introduced legislation to create an Illinois iteration of DOGE. He told “NewsNation Prime” that “it’s time to take that idea that they’re doing on the federal side and put it to work here in the state.”
Is DOGE saving Americans money?
DOGE publicly lists that it has saved approximately $55 billion from “a combination of fraud detection/deletion, contract/lease cancellations [and] contract/lease renegotiations” in addition to “asset sales, grant cancellations, workforce reductions, programmatic changes, and regulatory savings.”
The website’s listing mentions USAID and the Department of Education as the two largest agencies contributing to contract savings. It even features a “wall of receipts” showing the reported spending slashes.
Despite claiming billions of dollars in savings, DOGE has not provided evidence for approximately $38 billion of that — nearly 75% of its total claim.
Why is Elon Musk being sued?
Federal workers have filed a lawsuit against Musk, with attorneys alleging Monday that the billionaire violated the law with his work productivity explanation ultimatum.
On Sunday, Musk reiterated the need for federal government employees to explain their weekly tasks as he and the Department of Government Efficiency look to scale back operations.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in California, seeks to block mass layoffs pursued by Musk and President Donald Trump, including any connected to an email distributed by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday.