They came in aggressively, a former official who witnessed Elon Musk’s team take over the Social Security Administration said, demanding access to sensitive taxpayer data and refusing briefings on how the agency ensures the accuracy of its benefit systems. They recklessly exposed data in unsecured areas outside Social Security offices, the official said, potentially disclosing personally identifiable information on almost every American to people not authorized to see it.

And representatives sent by the U.S. DOGE Service refused to explain why they needed taxpayer information that is protected by law, the former official said. Despite their status as political appointees, the secretive members of the cost-cutting group overseen by Musk ignored the normal chain of command, instead communicating directly with DOGE.

These and other allegations are included in a sweeping declaration filed as part of a federal lawsuit Friday from Tiffany Flick, the agency’s acting chief of staff until she was forced out in mid-February.

The declaration is the first in-depth public account from a high-ranking government executive of how Musk’s team is operating at one of dozens of agencies as it leads a downsizing of the federal government under President Donald Trump.

Software engineers with no government experience, some in their early 20s, have clashed with career civil servants at multiple agencies where DOGE has sought — and in some cases received — access to systems containing sensitive data on federal employees, government payments, taxpayer information and a sensitive child-support database.

“I witnessed a disregard for critical processes — like providing the ‘least privileged’ access based on a ‘need to know’ — and lack of interest in understanding our systems and programs,” Flick said in her 13-page declaration, written under oath.

“That combined with the significant loss of expertise as more and more agency personnel leave, have me seriously concerned that SSA programs will continue to function and operate without disruption.”

If Social Security’s long-standing information security policies and procedures continue to be ignored by the DOGE team, Flick wrote, “That could result in benefits not being paid out or delays in payments. … The stakes are high.”