By Jason Leopold, Lydia Beyoud and Jake Bleiberg | Bloomberg
Christopher Stanley, the cybersecurity engineer who has worked for two of Elon Musk’s companies and the billionaire’s effort to reshape the federal government, resigned from the Fannie Mae board of directors a day after he was appointed to the post, according to a regulatory filing.
Stanley, who has ties to Musk’s SpaceX, social media platform X and the Department of Government Efficiency, was among a group of new appointments to Fannie’s board of directors announced Monday. Details about the reason for his quick departure weren’t immediately clear.
Other new additions to the board on Monday included Federal Housing Finance Agency Director Bill Pulte and the agency’s general counsel Clinton Jones. Several prior members of the board were also removed, according to a filing.
Neither Fannie nor the FHFA immediately responded to a request for comment. Stanley also didn’t immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
The FHFA is the agency that oversees Fannie and Freddie Mac, two mortgage giants in the US housing market.
Stanley’s participation on the Fannie board would have given the Musk ally a key role in influencing the future of an entity that was brought under government supervision in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. Hedge funds and other investors have called for the government to release the two entities from conservatorship, a move that could provide a windfall for shareholders.
Stanley was hired by executive appointment as a temporary “expert” under the director at the Office of Personnel Management, according to documents obtained by Bloomberg News in response to a Freedom of Information Act request. He’s touted his involvement with DOGE on social media, but the specifics of his role in government are largely unclear.
An OPM spokesperson said by email Monday that Stanley “returned to the private sector last month,” without providing any further details.
Stanley was also involved in the installation of Starlink, the satellite internet service operated by SpaceX, at the White House campus, according to The New York Times.