The staff was already jittery. The raiders from Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency had disposed of the U.S. Institute of Peace board, its acting president and its longtime outside counsel.

The Department of Government Efficiency, the brainchild of Elon Musk that upended Washington with its rapid-fire drive to slash thousands of federal jobs and cut costs, is effectively leaderless now that the billionaire and his deputy have stepped down,

Elon Musk left Washington D.C. last week making triumphant yet dubious claims he had achieved most of the federal headcount and spending cuts he’d set out to impose. Scarcely back in his role leading Telsa,