Two senior security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) were threatened with arrest and then put on leave after refusing to let Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access systems at the agency.
In a report on Sunday, CNN said that personnel from DOGE were initially stopped after they tried to physically access USAID facilities in Washington, D.C., on Saturday night. The DOGE personnel, who do not officially work for the U.S. government, demanded access and then threatened to call U.S. Marshalls.
“Three of the sources said the DOGE personnel wanted to gain access to security systems and personnel files. Two of those sources said also they wanted access to classified information,” CNN reported.
USAID Director of Security John Voorhees and his deputy were later relieved of duty.
According to reports, President Donald Trump was considering an executive order that would effectively abolish USAID by folding it into the Department of State. Some lawmakers have said the move would be illegal.
“Around 60 senior USAID staff were put on leave last week on accusations of attempting to circumvent the executive order on foreign aid. Another senior official was put on leave for trying to reverse that move after finding no evidence of wrongdoing,” CNN said.
