In today’s DOGE-deranged news environment, stories seeking to spotlighting the adversity endured by federal workers often draw top billing. A new CBS Evening News report goes to that well again, and manufactures a link between the DOGE buyouts and Musk’s purchase of Twitter, in an attempt to imply malfeasance.
CBS goes so far as to revive the witness protection gimmick made famous in the early days of the Second Trump Administration (click “expand”):
ED O'KEEFE: Attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan represents more than 2,000 cautionary tales, former employees of Twitter, now X, owned by Musk. When you first saw him offer a fork in the road to federal employees, after everything that went on at X, what did you think?
SHANNON LISS-RIORDAN: Oh, my god, he couldn't even come up with a new subject line?
O'KEEFE: Musk offered an early exit to Twitter employees in 2022: quit and accept three months of severance, or stay employed. Nearly 70% of the company opted to quit. Most of Liss-Riordan's clients, including some who were laid off or fired, are fighting for severance payments they claim they are owed, which X denies.
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: We were essentially lied to, you know, we did not get what we were promised, and it left me in a terrible financial space.
O'KEEFE: One of those clients is this former employee, fearful of retribution.
The situation left you homeless.
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: It did, yes.
O'KEEFE: How do you explain that to your child?
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: It was very hard to explain my child because he thought Elon Musk was a pretty cool guy.
O'KEEFE: Would you have taken the deferred resignation plan offered by Musk to federal workers?
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: Based on what I have gone through, I would be immediately looking for new work and not trusting any of that.
Immediately preceding was the testimony of a veteran working in the VA who accepted the buyout just in time for his retirement to vest. No problems, no issues. From there, O’Keefe shifts to the exchange you see above. The snarky attorney making fun of the buyout process, and the former Twitter employee.
The former employee is brought forth with the level of concealment accorded to turncoat mob bosses as part of their entry into the Witness Protection Program. It is difficult to ascertain what this person, if anything, has in common with the first guy. It is unclear whether she accepted a buyout at Twitter. There is no evidence shown to viewers that she accepted a buyout. Viewers are just expected to figure out what is real and fake, and accept Witness protection sympathy.
The whole purpose of this story is to flood the zone with smoke bombs, and lead the viewer to imagine that DOGE is up to no good. Without evidece.
Click “expand” to view the full transcript of the aforementioned report as aired on the CBS Evening News on Thursday, February 27th, 2025:
MAURICE DuBOIS: So far about 100,000 federal workers have been fired or accepted buyouts offered by President Trump, and advisor Elon Musk.
JOHN DICKERSON: Ed O'Keefe talked to one who took the deal, and to a former Twitter employee who believes she and others like her got taken by Musk.
ED O’KEEFE: Cole Kracke reviews education applications for the Veterans’ Benefits Administration outside of Minneapolis, and didn't initially believe an offer that came in late January. A deferred resignation plan inspired by Elon Musk, called “a fork in the road. Leave and get paid to do nothing through late September or stay but risk getting laid off.”
COLE KRACKE: A couple of my coworkers actually reported it as phishing because it did not look official.
O'KEEFE: But Kracke did the math. His 13 years in the Navy, plus five years in the VA, means he vests into the federal retirement system in June, so he sent a one word reply.
Did you think to yourself, maybe this is too good to be true?
KRACKE: Once the Acting Secretary of the VA flat out said this offer is valid, it's legal, and it will be honored, what more do I need?
O'KEEFE: Attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan represents more than 2,000 cautionary tales, former employees of Twitter, now X, owned by Musk. When you first saw him offer a fork in the road to federal employees, after everything that went on at X, what did you think?
SHANNON LISS-RIORDAN: Oh, my god, he couldn't even come up with a new subject line?
O'KEEFE: Musk offered an early exit to Twitter employees in 2022: quit and accept three months of severance, or stay employed. Nearly 70% of the company opted to quit. Most of Liss-Riordan's clients, including some who were laid off or fired, are fighting for severance payments they claim they are owed, which X denies.
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: We were essentially lied to, you know, we did not get what we were promised, and it left me in a terrible financial space.
O'KEEFE: One of those clients is this former employee, fearful of retribution.
The situation left you homeless.
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: It did, yes.
O'KEEFE: How do you explain that to your child?
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: It was very hard to explain my child because he thought Elon Musk was a pretty cool guy.
O'KEEFE: Would you have taken the deferred resignation plan offered by Musk to federal workers?
UNDERCOVER FORMER TWITTER EMPLOYEE: Based on what I have gone through, I would be immediately looking for new work and not trusting any of that.
MAURICE DUBOIS: And Ed O'Keefe joins us now from The White House. Ed, it is so striking to notice all the similarities between what is happening with the federal workers now and what happened to the workers at Twitter.
O'KEEFE: Which is why that former employee is advising federal employees to get out as fast as they can. She points out that when D.O.G.E. officials started showing up at federal agencies to get a handle on what exactly they were doing, it reminded her of when Tesla employees, owned by Musk, started showing up at Twitter after he bought the company. The buyouts offered, the layoffs that have happened, and the further reductions expected to come, she says all mirror what went on at Twitter, now X, in 2022. We should point out attorneys for the company did not respond to multiple requests for comment, and when asked about D.O.G.E. and Musk, The White House today tells us in part, quote: "It is a welcome change to have entrepreneurial giants leading the charge in making government more efficient." Tomorrow, by the way, is Cole's last day working for the Veterans Administration. John. Maurice.
DuBOIS: Okay. Ed O’Keefe. Yes. At The White House tonight. Thank you,
