Elon Musk shared a viral post on X accusing the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) of funding the Taliban, naming Mohammad Halimi as a "former Taliban member" receiving U.S. support. Halimi, an Afghan scholar and critic of the Taliban who previously worked with the U.S. government, was publicly exposed and branded a terrorist. This post endangered Halimi and his relatives still in Afghanistan, as the Taliban had previously attempted to assassinate him. Despite Halimi's nuanced history and work with USIP focusing on Afghan women's conditions, the misleading narrative was used by Musk's team, DOGE, in a battle for control of USIP. Government officials were warned about the danger, but Musk's team persisted, seeing Halimi's contract as evidence of government waste. Following the exposure, Halimi's relatives were detained and beaten by Taliban intelligence agents seeking information about him. Halimi's former colleagues at USIP were fired, leaving him without support. DOGE continued its campaign, appearing on Fox News with Jesse Watters, further misrepresenting Halimi's contract and the work of USIP. The narrative presented was that the U.S. government was funding America's enemies, a key argument for DOGE's agenda. Halimi's situation highlights the severe consequences of misinformation spread on social media by powerful figures.