WASHINGTON — Two key security officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development were placed on leave by the Trump administration. This action was taken after they refused to provide classified material from restricted areas to government-inspection teams associated with Elon Musk, as reported by a current and former U.S. official to The Associated Press on Sunday.
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) under Musk’s leadership, eventually managed to access the aid agency’s classified information, which includes intelligence reports, according to the former official.
However, the DOGE team did not possess the necessary security clearance to view this information. As a result, the two USAID security officials, namely John Vorhees and deputy Brian McGill, were obligated by law to deny them access.
The current and former U.S. officials had knowledge of the incident and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to share the information.
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.
Musk formed DOGE in cooperation with the new Trump administration with the stated goal of finding ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations.
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AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Panama City contributed to this report.
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