'DOGE' Office Destroyed as Musk Bails
United States Institute of Peace. Photo courtesy of Something Original under CC BY-SA 3.0.
When staff from the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP) stepped back into their headquarters after being ousted for two months, they weren't returning to just another office — they were walking into the wreckage of a potential failed government experiment. What was once a polished, concrete-and-glass monument to diplomacy had become, what some would call, an almost apocalyptic display.
This was the aftermath of a brief and turbulent stint by Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — a Trump-era initiative launched to root out federal waste. While some cost-cutting measures were implemented, the agency also left behind a battered landmark, demoralized staff, and a very public mess.
An Unprecedented Seizure — And A Stunning Reversal
The trouble began in March 2025 when President Donald Trump signed an executive order targeting several federally funded institutions, labeling the Institute of Peace "unnecessary," according to the Independent.
DOGE operatives, under the leadership of Musk and his handpicked deputies, forcibly took control of the agency's $500 million headquarters in Washington, D.C., firing its staff and replacing its leadership with loyalists.
Over a weekend, agents from the FBI and D.C. police escorted longtime staffers — including respected diplomat George Moose — out of the building. Armed private security locked the doors. Computers were wiped. Archives vanished. The USIP website went dark.
The move sparked immediate legal backlash. By May, U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell declared the takeover "null and void," restoring the original board and leadership. But the judge, according to the Associated Press, also said, "A bull in a China shop breaks a lot of things."
Inside the Fallout
What that meant became clear on May 22, when staff re-entered the building. Years of conflict-resolution work had been replaced by mold, rot, and missing letters from the building's iconic lobby sign — reportedly ripped off by DOGE operatives and taken as "war trophies," according to the Independent.
Graffiti stained the walls. Water leaks damaged ceilings. Outdoor cooling systems were overtaken by weeds, raising fears of disease.
And then there were the pests. Rats and roaches had moved in, feasting on spoiled food left in fridges and drawers. DOGE had canceled maintenance contracts and refused USIP staff access to remove perishables. Wastewater pipes dried out, giving vermin a clear path into the building.
Among the most striking discoveries? A stash of discarded marijuana, allegedly tossed by DOGE staffers. A photo of the dried cannabis was shared on social media by The Economist's Daniel Knowles, cementing a detail that became symbolic of the episode's dysfunction, the Live Mint reported.
Damage Beyond the Walls
The physical damage alone is expected to cost hundreds of thousands to repair.
But former staff say the deeper toll is on people — and peacebuilding itself. Dozens of international programs were paused. Field operatives in conflict zones lost contact. Furloughed employees went without health coverage. And a 40-year legacy of nonpartisan diplomacy now bears a giant asterisk.
The question now facing the organization is how long before USIP can function again. "Because all of that was totally illegal, the folks at the U.S. Institute of Peace will have to repair everything and stand everything back up in order to even start to get back to where they were before this whole thing started," said MSNBC's Rachel Maddow, according to the Daily Beast. "It's just pure pointlessness and waste."
Elon Musk's Role and Exit
Musk, whose own alleged drug use became a side story in the chaos, exited his official government role in late May, just days after the court ruling. His tenure as a "special government employee" lasted 130 days, capped by appearances with a chainsaw and promises to cut bureaucracy, according to PEOPLE.
Since officially stepping away from DOGE's leadership, Musk and Trump have gone through an ideological and political falling out, with Trump attacking Trump's major policy and budget bill and Trump threatening to end contracts with Musk's companies.
It's a political and personal mess that parallels the mess left at USIP.
'A Zombie Movie Scene'
USIP's security chief Colin O'Brien called the post-DOGE building "offensive," according to the Independent.
O'Brien, a military veteran, noted that, from the missing letters on the front wall to the vanished flags once raised over conflict zones, the damage wasn't merely accidental. It felt deliberate.
DOGE, for its part, has offered no official comment.
What Peace Costs — And What It's Worth
The Institute of Peace is back in its rightful hands. But the recovery is slow, and the scars — literal and symbolic — remain. As new staff cycle in and federal eyes stay fixed on the next DOGE move, the Peace Institute stands as a quiet reminder: dismantling government may be easy. Rebuilding trust? That's the hard part.
References:Musk's DOGE Goons Trashed Office and Left Drugs Behind | Marijuana, Roaches, Graffiti & Chaos: Inside Elon Musk's DOGE Takeover of USIP Amid New Claims About His Drug Use | DOGE Took Over the US Institute of Peace. Now, the Inside Looks Like a Zombie Movie, Security Chief Reveals | Elon Musk Is Gone, but DOGE’s Actions Are Hard to Reverse. The US Institute of Peace Is a Case Study | Elon Musk's 'Intense' Drug Use Detailed in Bombshell New Report: Ecstasy, Mushrooms and Ketamine That Led to Bladder Issues | From bromance to breakup: How Elon Musk and Donald Trump blew up
