The unfolding criminal investigation into Nathaniel Segal—a former top aide to Kamala Harris—has the potential to expose a significant scandal within the Biden administration’s handling of personnel appointments. The Department of Justice is now probing whether Segal, with the possible involvement of high-level officials such as Harris and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Chair Lina Khan, was improperly embedded in the FTC in an effort to secure a protected government position before the Trump administration took office.
The allegations suggest a carefully orchestrated scheme. Segal, who served as Harris’ Deputy Domestic Policy Advisor, was rapidly transferred through multiple roles in the final days of the Biden presidency. According to reports, he moved from Harris’ office in the Senate to a short-lived position within the Executive Office of the President—just 11 days—before landing at the FTC on January 18, two days before Trump’s inauguration.
Despite missing essential hiring paperwork, Khan reportedly placed him on the FTC payroll anyway, classifying him as a tenured, non-probationary civil servant. This classification would have made it significantly more difficult for the incoming Trump administration to remove him.
But as the scheme unraveled, Segal allegedly took a desperate step: attempting to fraudulently secure a payout from Musk’s Fork in the Road Deferred Resignation Program. The program offered buyouts worth up to $200,000 for eligible government employees willing to resign—but Segal had neither received an offer nor met the deadline.
Despite this, he allegedly sent a falsified screenshot to human resources, claiming he had submitted a resignation request before the deadline. The FTC investigated and found no record of the email. When confronted, Segal abruptly resigned.
The investigation raises major legal and ethical questions. If these allegations prove true, it suggests that senior officials manipulated government hiring rules to ensure political appointees remained in place even after a change in administration—essentially embedding ideological operatives in key positions. Additionally, it would mean Segal knowingly falsified official records to obtain taxpayer-funded benefits.
Segal’s background adds another layer to the story. With degrees from Yale, Harvard, and Stanford, and experience in the Obama White House and private-sector firms like Bain Capital and Goldman Sachs, he was no inexperienced bureaucrat.
His rapid maneuvering between roles suggests a deliberate effort by Democratic officials to secure him a place within the federal bureaucracy before Trump took office—whether for policy influence, job security, or financial gain.
This case could have significant implications, not just for Segal but for others who may have facilitated his placement at the FTC. If investigators find evidence that Harris, Khan, or other senior officials knowingly participated in this scheme, it could open a broader inquiry into personnel practices within the Biden administration. The DOJ has confirmed that it is taking a “broad” approach to the case, signaling that more revelations may be on the horizon.