DOGE, Sen Mike Lee demand entry into Fort Knox to examine gold reserves

Elon Musk, the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), and Senator Mike Lee (R_UT) are demanding access to Fort Knox in order to examine the reserves of gold the country keeps stored there.

On Monday, Musk said it would be "cool to do a live video walkthrough of Fort Knox.”

Lee responded, and said that he has tried "repeatedly" to get into the Kentucky fort, being told by officials at the fort, "you can’t come to Fort Knox." When pressed for why he couldn’t go, he recounted that he was told, "It’s a military installation." When Lee noted that as a Senator, he has visited military bases "all the time," Lee said officials denied him entry, saying, "You still can’t come. Because, you can’t."

In response, Musk told Lee, "Who is confirming that gold wasn’t stolen from Fort Knox? Maybe it’s there, maybe it’s not. That gold is owned by the American public! We want to know if it’s still there."

Kentucky’s Fort Knox is the location of the United States Bullion Depository which stores precious metal bullion reserves for the US. According to US Mint, "no visitors are permitted in the facility."

US Mint says that there is currently 147.3 million ounces of gold kept there. Around half of the Treasury’s stored gold is kept at Fort Knox. With the exception for samples taken to test the purity of the gold during "regularly scheduled audits," US Mint said that "no gold has been transferred to or from the Depository for many years."

It is unclear the last time Fort Knox underwent an in-depth audit, the New York Post reported. The facility was first opened for a tour in 1974 when journalists and a Congressional delegation were allowed inside after claims that it had been looted. It was opened for the second time in 2017 to allow for then-Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin to view them.

This comes after Senator Rand Paul urged the DOGE head to review the status of the gold.

On Saturday, X account Zerohedge wrote, "It would be great if Elon Musk could take a look inside Fort Knox just to make sure the 4,580 tons of US gold is there. Last time anyone looked was 50 years ago in 1974." Musk replied, "Surely it’s reviewed at least every year," to which Paul responded, "Nope. Let’s do it."