USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk's inspectors from classified info

Washington — 

The Trump medication has placed 2 apical information chiefs astatine the U.S. Agency for International Development connected permission aft they refused to crook implicit classified worldly successful restricted areas to Elon Musk's government-inspection teams, a existent and a erstwhile U.S. authoritative told The Associated Press connected Sunday.

Members of Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, known arsenic DOGE, yet did summation entree Saturday to the assistance agency's classified information, which includes quality reports, the erstwhile authoritative said. Musk's DOGE unit lacked high-enough information clearance to entree that information, truthful the 2 USAID information officials — John Vorhees and lawman Brian McGill — were legally obligated to contradict access.

The existent and erstwhile U.S. officials had cognition of the incidental and spoke connected information of anonymity due to the fact that they were not authorized to stock the information. Musk connected Sunday responded to a station astir the quality connected X by saying, "USAID is simply a transgression organization. Time for it to die."

The White House did not instantly respond to a petition for comment. It comes a time aft DOGE carried retired a akin cognition astatine the Treasury Department, gaining entree to delicate accusation including the Social Security and Medicare lawsuit outgo systems.

Musk formed DOGE successful practice with the caller Trump medication with the stated extremity of uncovering ways to occurrence national workers, chopped programs and slash national regulations.

USAID, whose website vanished Saturday without explanation, has been 1 of the national agencies astir targeted by the Trump medication successful an escalating crackdown connected the national authorities and galore of its programs.

The Trump medication and Secretary of State Marco Rubio person imposed an unprecedented frost connected overseas assistance that has unopen down overmuch of USAID's humanitarian, improvement and information programs worldwide — compelling thousands of layoffs by assistance organizations — and ordered furloughs and leaves that person gutted the agency's enactment and unit successful Washington.

The U.S. is by acold the world's largest donor of humanitarian aid, with USAID administering billions of dollars successful humanitarian, improvement and information assistance successful much than 100 countries. Peter Marocco, a returning governmental appointee from Trump's archetypal term, was a person successful enforcing the shutdown.

USAID staffers accidental they judge that bureau outsiders with visitors badges asking questions of employees wrong Washington office are members of Musk's DOGE team.