Antonio Gracias, the founder of Valor Equity Partners who was previously involved with the Trump administration’s DOGE effort, is no longer serving as a volunteer special government employee, firm partner and co-president Juan Sabater indicated to Fox News Digital.
“Antonio served as a volunteer Special Government Employee for a period of less than 130 days. His plan of record was always to conclude his work by July 4, 2025,” Sabater stated in a Thursday morning email.
Gracias “stopped his contributions as a volunteer as of July 1, before the anticipated July 4 date. He ended early,” Sabater further explained in another email to Fox News Digital.
The firm’s website notes that Gracias is the founder, chief executive officer, and chief investment officer.
“Antonio was a Director of Tesla from 2007 to 2021. During his tenure, he served as Lead Independent Director for eight years, and helped take Tesla public. He is a Director of several Valor portfolio companies, including Space Exploration Technologies, WEKA and Zipline,” the firm’s site states.
Gracias is an ally of business magnate Elon Musk, who previously spearheaded the DOGE effort.
“Antonio Gracias was always set to sunset his role,” White House spokesperson Harrison Fields noted in a statement to Fox News Digital. “As an SGE, he joined with several team members, delivered phenomenal work, and executed a seamless, well-planned handoff to the team.”
A Thursday American Federation of Teachers press release stated that union president Randi Weingarten had recently “sent a letter to nine public pension funds in which her members’ retirements are invested, requesting they review their funds’ dealings with Valor.”
“It’s amazing what shining a spotlight can reveal,” Weingarten said, according to the press release from the teachers’ union. “While we are encouraged that Gracias has abandoned DOGE and seems to now be taking his core business seriously, it’s disappointing it apparently took letters from his investors to finally flush out the truth.”
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