Former Social Security Administration Commissioner Martin O'Malley dismissed Elon Musk's allegations of widespread fraud within the agency as absurd during a CNN interview. O'Malley, who headed the SSA under President Biden, chuckled at Musk's assertions during a discussion about the recent resignation of Acting SSA Head Michelle King, reportedly following a disagreement with Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) regarding data access.

CNN host Boris Sanchez raised Musk's claims of rampant fraud, including payments to deceased individuals, which prompted laughter from O'Malley. While acknowledging public concern over such allegations, Sanchez questioned the appropriateness of O'Malley's reaction. O'Malley retorted that Musk was uninformed, denying any widespread issue of payments to deceased beneficiaries.

O'Malley conceded that within a vast agency serving 72.5 million people, isolated incidents of fraud might occur, such as relatives concealing a beneficiary's death to continue receiving payments. However, he emphasized that the SSA has robust verification procedures, often leading to the erroneous suspension of benefits for legitimate recipients who may have moved abroad or experienced other life changes. These instances, O'Malley argued, are more common than fraudulent claims.

O'Malley challenged Musk to provide evidence for his claims, such as identifying the individuals allegedly over 150 years old and still receiving benefits. He criticized Musk and DOGE for making unsubstantiated accusations and potentially violating privacy laws by accessing personal data.

Musk has alleged that over 20 million individuals in the Social Security database are over 100 years old, with a significant number purportedly exceeding 130 years. However, he has not specified how many of these individuals are actively receiving benefits.