Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has embarked on an unprecedented power grab in Washington, leaving many to wonder if anyone can stop him. In a series of shocking moves, Musk has taken control of key government agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration, and has reportedly accessed classified information.

The situation began to unfold when Musk pushed out the head of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), followed by a series of bizarre events, including the sending of a "fork in the road" email to federal employees, encouraging them to resign, from an insecure server. The email was reminiscent of Musk's Twitter ultimatum, which has become a hallmark of his management style. Longtime civil servants were subsequently locked out of personnel systems, which house personal data for government employees.

Musk's lackeys have reportedly gained access to the US Treasury systems, with some even accessing classified information. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been shut down, with Musk boasting that he "spent the weekend feeding USAID into the wood chipper." The consequences of Musk's actions are already being felt, with the most immediate impact on USAID's programs, including George W. Bush's effort to care for HIV patients in Africa, which has reportedly saved 20 million lives.

Experts warn that Musk's actions amount to a coup over the administrative state, with the clear goal of dismantling the checks and balances system that underpins American democracy. The present Trump administration, which has been criticized for its own disregard for constitutional norms, appears to be either unwilling or unable to stop Musk's power grab.

Brian Riedl, an economist at the conservative Manhattan Institute, has sounded the alarm, stating that "I see a lot of people want to throw out 230 years of constitutional government and replace it with an authoritarian dictator because they have big feelings about the budget and can't be bothered to work through Congress."

Musk's chaos is compounding other crises, including the recent plane crashes in major cities, which have raised concerns about air traffic control facilities being understaffed. The situation has sparked fears about the potential consequences of Musk's unchecked power, including the possibility of him stopping payments, as he did with Twitter's leases, and the potential for foreign spies to penetrate his unsecured servers.

The real question, as one expert put it, is: who will stop him? So far, the answer appears to be no one. The CIA, FBI, and NSA seem to be doing nothing, while the US attorney's office in DC is threatening individuals and groups who "appear to violate the law in targeting DOGE employees." The Democratic party is making strongly worded statements and issuing letters of concern, but it remains unclear what concrete actions will be taken to rein in Musk's power.

The stiffest resistance Musk is facing is from the workers themselves, who are suing over the insecure server used to send the "fork in the road" email and refusing to comply with his demands. Two unions, the AFL-CIO and the SEIU, are also suing the Treasury and Scott Bessent "to halt Defendants' unlawful ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial information contained in Defendants' records to Elon Musk."

As the situation continues to unfold, one thing is clear: Elon Musk's power grab has far-reaching implications for American democracy and the rule of law. The question on everyone's mind is: who will stop him, and what will be the consequences if no one does?