Edward Coristine, a rising figure at the Department of Government Efficiency and a protégé of billionaire Elon Musk, is the grandson of a KGB spy executed for treason, according to a new report by freelance journalist Jacob Silverman, the Independent reported.

Coristine, 19, who has gained notoriety both for his controversial early tech career and for embracing the nickname “Big Balls,” is related to Valery Fedorovich Martynov, a Soviet intelligence officer executed in 1987 for working as a double agent for the FBI.

DOGE naysayers say the revelation raises new questions about Coristine’s access to sensitive national security information as a senior adviser within the agency.

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