WASHINGTON – One of the best-known members of President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency has left his federal job, part of an exodus following the acrimonious departure of billionaire adviser Elon Musk.
Edward Coristine’s online nickname “big balls” drew the spotlight as part of the DOGE advisory group searching for government savings through dismantling agencies and laying off tens of thousands of government workers.
Coristine, 19, had worked at Musk’s company Neuralink before joining him at DOGE. He and others including Steve Davis, a key Musk aide who ran DOGE’s day-to-day operations, have left the government, according to a White House official.
In March, Reuters reported that Coristine had provided tech support to a cybercrime gang that had bragged about trafficking in stolen data and harassing an FBI agent.
The DOGE departures came after Musk’s split with Trump over government spending. Musk had initially aimed to cut $2 trillion in federal spending but DOGE recommendations resulted in about $150 billion in cuts that lawmakers are now debating whether to make permanent.
