On Tuesday, Elon Musk spoke to reporters from the Oval Office, standing alongside President Trump, who remained seated at the Resolute Desk. It was the first time Musk has taken questions about his DOGE operation since Trump tasked him with slashing “trillions” of dollars in federal spending. Musk repeatedly rejected reporters’ assertions that DOGE operates in deep secrecy.

Elon Musk: “So, all of our actions are maximally transparent. In fact, I don’t think there’s been — I don’t know of a case where an organization has been more transparent than the DOGE organization.”

The White House said Tuesday Musk is serving as an unpaid “special government employee,” and therefore his financial disclosure report is not required to be made public. The White House has also worked to shield Musk’s operation from open records laws, including the Freedom of Information Act, by invoking the Presidential Records Act, which would see DOGE records kept sealed until 2034.

The New York Times reports there are more than 32 continuing investigations, pending complaints or enforcement actions into Musk’s six companies across at least 11 federal agencies that have been affected by the Trump administration’s purge of civil servants. Musk is also a major beneficiary of NASA and Department of Defense funds, with SpaceX reporting it has received about $22 billion in government contracts. On Tuesday, Musk repeatedly denied that his vast business holdings presented a conflict of interest.

Reporter: “If you have received billions of dollars in contracts from the Pentagon and the president is directing you to look into the Department of Defense, is that a conflict of interest?”

Elon Musk: “Yes, which we definitely need to do and are going to do, at the president’s request.”

Reporter: “Does that present a conflict of interest for you?”

Elon Musk: “No, because you’d have to look at the individual contract and say — first of all, I’m not the one, you know, filing the contract. It’s people at SpaceX.”

Musk spoke with his 4-year-old son X Æ A-Xii draped over his shoulders, often putting his fingers in Elon Musk’s ears.