March 18 (UPI) -- Personnel from the Department of Government Efficiency gained access to the U.S. Institute of Peace after being turned away last week.
The Trump administration fired most of the USIP board Friday, leaving Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and National Defense University President Peter Garvin as its three remaining board members. The three then installed Kenneth Jackson as acting USIP president. Jackson was present among the personnel who entered the building on Monday.
"DOGE has broken into our building," said George Moose, who was the acting USIP president before Jackson and as of Tuesday is still listed on the agency's website as Acting President and CEO.
The Trump administration, however, said Moose has been fired from the role.
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"Mr. Moose denied lawful access to Kenneth Jackson, the acting USIP president," DOGE posted to X Monday night.
D.C. Metropolitan Police then arrived, and officers escorted Jackson into the building.
"The only unlawful individual was Mr. Moose, who refused to comply, and even tried to fire USIP's private security team when said security team went to give access to Mr. Jackson," DOGE said.
U.S. Representative Don Beyer, D-Va., stated via social media that he was present at the scene Monday "to conduct congressional oversight over DOGE's break in."
"I spoke with Acting President [and] CEO Moose. USIP is an independent, non-profit entity and I will work to stop DOGE's illegal power grab," Beyer said.
USIP's chief security officer Colin O'Brien said it was USIP that called D.C. police, and that former USIP security contractors whose contracts were allegedly canceled Sunday had entered the building without permission. Once police arrived, they allowed and escorted the DOGE team into the building before removing the former contractors.
A D.C. police spokesperson told CNN that officers responded to an unlawful entry report at USIP Monday, that "Individuals who were asked to leave by the management at that facility left," and "There were no arrests made and no incidents to report."
Moose, who was also forced to leave by police, said that USIP plans to fight the DOGE moves "vigorously" in court.
"We are confident of our legal status, and we are confident that a court that gives us a hearing will be persuaded by the strength of our legal argument," he said.
The agency is self-described as founded by Congress in 1984 and as a "nonpartisan, independent organization dedicated to protecting U.S. interests by helping to prevent violent conflicts and broker peace deals abroad."
Trump signed an executive order in February to purge or shrink some federal advisory committees, including USIP.
