A DOGE employee is responsible for the American Institute of Peace, according to a judicial file

By Gary Fields

Washington (AP) – An official linked to the Ministry of Elon Musk’s government efficiency was taken care of from the American Peace Institute, a reflection group created and funded by the Congress targeted by President Donald Trump for the closure, according to a file from the Federal Court.

Two members of the board of directors of the Institute of Peace authorized the replacement of its temporary president by Nate Cavanaugh, indicates the file. They ordered him, he said, to transfer the property of the Institute to the General Services Administration, the real estate director of the federal government, which puts an end to hundreds of leases at the request of DOGE.

The tribunal file asks the American district judge Beryl Howell to Washington to end the action or plan a state conference to solve problems as soon as “possible”. Howell ordered the parties to appear before her on Tuesday for a status hearing.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comments.

The action follows a mass dismissal of Friday evening of almost all 300 employees of the institute. Former employees say that only a small number has not received a notification, including colleagues who are abroad, who were given until April 9 to return to the United States, and regional vice-presidents, which run the areas where they are based.

Two former employees, who spoke to the Associated Press on the state of anonymity for fear of compensation, said that they had been joined by private emails because they were locked up from the institute system and were unable to return to work since a confrontation held earlier this month in which the members of Doge were accompanied by the application of the law. They were given until April 7 to eliminate their personal effects.

An executive decree of the Republican President in February registered the Institute, which aims to prevent and resolve conflicts, and to three other closure agencies. The members of the board of directors, who are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate, and the president of the institute were dismissed. Later, there was a confrontation between the employees who prevented the members of Doge from entering the registered office of the Institute near the State Department. DOGE staff had partly access to the Washington police.

Howell has chased the representatives of Doge for their behavior, but has not restored the members of the board of directors or allowed employees to return to the workspace.

The applicant’s court file recognizes the previous actions of Howell refusing a temporary prohibition order. “They are now asking for a reparation simply to preserve the status quo with regard to the jurisdiction of the Court to grant a repair if it determines that the abolition of a large majority of the administrators of the Institute was illegal,” he said.

Originally published: March 31, 2025 at 9:49 a.m.