Internet search trends in the Washington, DC, metro area have been nothing short of stunning in recent weeks, reflecting what appears to be growing panic within the federal bureaucracy as President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) root out corruption in non-governmental organizations (NGO) and federal agencies.
Earlier this week, internet search trends for “Criminal Defense Lawyer” and “RICO Laws” went viral on X, fueling speculation that Washington’s political elites were in panic mode. The searches coincided with DOGE’s efforts to neuter USAID’s funding of NGOs that propped up a shadow government, as well as begin cutting tens of thousands of workers from various federal agencies.
DC Internet Searches For “Criminal Defense Lawyer” & “RICO Law” Erupt As DOGE Drains Swamp https://t.co/4ytzi4YcgV
— zerohedge (@zerohedge) February 13, 2025
Now, more suspicious search trends have erupted among DC residents as DOGE efforts went into beast mode at the end of the week.
“Washington DC searches soar for “Swiss bank” (yellow), “offshore bank” (green), “wire money” (red) and “IBAN” (blue),” WikiLeaks wrote on X late Thursday.
Washington DC searches soar for “Swiss bank” (yellow), “offshore bank” (green), “wire money” (red) and “IBAN” (blue) pic.twitter.com/OBEg0hW8g0
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 13, 2025
Search terms “Wipe” (blue) and “Erase” (red) also moved higher in recent weeks. Wipe hard drives?
Washington DC searches soar for “wipe” (blue) and “erase” (red) according to Google trends data. pic.twitter.com/WTbK1C1zxy
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) February 14, 2025
Well, yes, the search term “wipe hard drive”across the DC metro has gone absolutely parabolic.
And “BleachBit” too!
