George Conway: Musk, Ramaswamy to lead 'nonexistent department'

Conservative pundit George Conway downplayed President-elect Trump's proposed advisory group focused on cutting federal spending and reducing the size of the government Tuesday, calling it "nonexistent."

When asked by MSNBC's Alex Wagner about Trump's announcement to have billionaire Elon Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy lead the group dubbed the "Department of Government Efficiency" (DOGE), Conway said "It's just a nonexistent department."

"First of all, it's not going to be a governmental department as I understand it and there are actually rules and statutes that apply, I think," he told Wagner. "The Federal Advisory Committee Act talks about regulat[ing] from an ethics standpoint, people who are coming in and being consulted on how to run the government."

"And I’m not an expert in that, but we’re going to end up knowing a lot more about it in the not-too-distant future, I think," Conway added.

Trump said that DOGE would “slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures” and restructure federal agencies, as well as “provide advice and guidance from outside of government” and partner with the White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB).

The president-elect said the group's work would “conclude” no later than July 4, 2026, in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.

Trump and Musk had floated the idea of this type of group on the campaign trail. Though, concerns have been raised in recent weeks over whether Musk's dual role as a tech and government leader could lead to conflicts of interest.

Former government officials and ethics experts told The Hill last month that Musk’s leadership of a government efficiency group — which could oversee the agencies that grant government contracts and subsidies to the billionaire's own companies like Tesla and SpaceX — could risk the panel’s objectivity and fairness.

Since being declared the winner of the 2024 election, the president-elect has begun rolling out his picks for Cabinet and key administration positions.

The Hill has contacted the Trump campaign for comment.