An investor in private stocks, who is one of the closest close associates in Elon Musk, has played a new role in the social security management, a development that could be a political combustion due to the popularity of the program with voters, and Mr. Musk intended to make significant changes in the agency.
The investor, Antonio Grassyas, who served in Mr. Musk Tesla and Spacex, began a position in management as part of An effort to reduce costs driven by musk Known as the Ministry of Governmental efficiency, according to the documents seen by the New York Times and two people he had appointed.
Subordinate More than 50 people Those who joined Mr. Musk in Washington, almost nothing has a wide history like Mr. Gracias. Men met about two decades ago, and at that time, Mr. Gracias became one of the most reliable consultants for Mr. Musk.
The participation of such a close ally with the Social Security Administration indicates that Mr. Musk has made the agency’s reform a priority; In recent weeks, the technical billionaire has spoken regularly about the supposed fraud within the system. Two weeks ago, it is Social security is indicated As “Bonzi’s largest scheme of all time”, and this week this week He claimed this fraud in the program And other major spending on his “great judiciary” rights.
Republicans have long privatized or discounts on social security, but they avoided following up by fear of political trembling. Although the major Republicans claim that they simply want to enhance the financial affairs of the program, the Democrats have Spy political opportunity In getting rid of Mr. Musk possible in the agency.
Nine members of Doug reached the Social Security Administration in recent days. Among them is Mr. Gracias and two other men working in his investment company, Valor Equity Partners – John Koval, Vice President of the Investment Team, and Payton Rehling, a data engineer – according to the documents in the Times.
In early February, while talking to Mr. Musk’s allies Podcast episode “All in”, Mr. Grassyas reduced his role with the business squad to reduce costs. He said: “I am working a little and trying to help where I can, but I am not there full time.”
But he said that he and his team in Valor were scrutinizing the scrutiny of social security management and that he was anxious about the size of the so -called trust money, because the government accounts that were created to ensure that the Americans get their full advantages. Mr. Grassyas said he believed this showed that there were “material weaknesses” in the system.
The fine lines of the role of Mr. Grassyas, which was reported earlier Bloomberg NewsUnknown. Mr. Grassyas nor the Social Security Administration did not respond to the suspension requests.
Mr. Grassyas met Mr. Musk through David SachsA project capitalist is now the same as the Trump administration. He was an early believer in Tasla, and he personally loaned Mr. Musk million dollars in the first days of the company, according to Mr. Gracias in the testimony of The issue of the modern court. Men and their families canceled a vacation in the Bahamas and went to ski in Jackson Hall, and Yu.
With the prosperity and wealth of Mr. Musk, as did this from Mr. Gracias, who linked his personal brand with the world -famous businessman. Valor has invested at at least five MUSK companies. In 2022, when Mr. Musk bought the X social media platform, known as Twitter, at $ 44 billion, Mr. Gracias used the financial affairs management for treatment.
Mr. Gracias, who moved to Miami from Chicago in 2021, spent time at Donald J. Trump One of the friends of Mr. Musk Those who had an interview with employees who seek to join the Trump administration. Mr. Gracias said on “All” that Mr. Musk is surprised by the inability of the supposed government to track its spending.
“I was in Mar Lago with Illon trying to track: How did the money actually flow?” He said. “No one can tell us how to flow. Where do it go out? People did not know.”
Mr. Grassyas, who graduated from the Foreign Service School in Georgetown, was in the country’s capital in January to accompany Mr. Musk for a dinner in the Elite Club Club, where he and Mr. Musk Mix With members of the political establishment.
Mr. Gracias underwent political innovation. he civilized region The presidential debate in September 2016 as a supporter of Hillary Clinton, gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to the campaign of Joseph R. Biden Junior in 2020. Now, Republicans are largely supported: Millions have given David McC Corcmonds during 2022 and 2024 running in the Senate in Baraz Pax Back.
Sometimes, the language of Mr. Grassyas was more daring than Mr. Musk. In the podcast in February, he said that Mr. Musk’s announcement that 10 percent of the federal budget may have been “might be low”. He also claimed that the country was flirting with becoming a “clutchocracy” and “Autocrate, along the lines of Latin America”.
He described himself as a loyal supporter of billionaire, whatever chasing. “I am 100 % with you Elon,” Mr. Gracias wrote to Mr. Musk in a text message in March 2022, launching his battle to buy Twitter, as shown in legal deposits.
Andrew Dahrin The reports contributed.
