USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk's DOGE from classified info, officials say

https://apnews.com/article/doge-musk-trump-classified-information-usaid-security-35101dee28a766e0d9705e0d47958611

USAID security leaders on leave after trying to keep Musk’s DOGE from classified info, officials say
By ELLEN KNICKMEYER
Updated 1:31 PM CST, February 2, 2025

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Trump administration has placed two top security chiefs at the U.S. Agency for International Development on leave after they refused to turn over classified material in restricted areas to Elon Musk’s government-inspection teams, a current and a former U.S. official told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Members of Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, known as DOGE, eventually did gain access Saturday to the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, the former official said.

Musk’s DOGE crew lacked high-enough security clearance to access that information, so the two USAID security officials — John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill — were legally obligated to deny access.

Musk on Sunday responded to a post about the news on X by saying, “USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die.” The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

It comes a day after DOGE carried out a similar operation at the Treasury Department, gaining access to sensitive information including the Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems.

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