Elon Musk's 'illegal power grab' of the U.S. government must be stopped: Progressives demand firing

Elon Musk's rapid takeover of two U.S. government agencies has enabled the South African-born billionaire to exert unprecedented control over America's 2.2-million-member federal workforce and begin a dramatic reshaping of government.

The world's richest man and an ally of President Donald Trump, Musk, 53, has in two weeks created a new center of power in Washington as he executes Trump's cost-cutting initiative to reduce the size of the U.S. government.

The CEO of Tesla TSLA.O and founder of SpaceX, Musk has acted swiftly since Trump's Jan. 20 inauguration, deploying teams of current and former employees of his companies as his agents.