ASIATODAY.ID, WASHINGTON – Two senior security officials with the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have reportedly been placed on leave by President Donald Trump’s administration after attempting to prevent an audit by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) led by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
A team of DOGE inspectors sought to review “classified material in restricted areas” at USAID on Saturday but were stopped by security officials, AP reported on Sunday. The inspectors were said to have lacked the necessary security clearance, and USAID security was “legally obligated” to deny them access to the requested data, according to the news agency.
“No, they tried to lie to cover up their corruption,” Musk wrote on X, dismissing allegations that the team lacked security clearance. Katie Miller, who serves on an advisory board for the DOGE, also said that “no classified material was accessed without proper security clearances.”
Eventually, the inspectors gained access to the requested materials, including personnel records and “intelligence reports,” according to AP. The USAID officials, identified as John Vorhees and his deputy, Brian McGill, were placed on leave.
The DOGE has yet to publish details of its review of USAID activities, but Musk attacked the agency in a series of fiery posts on Sunday.
“USAID is a criminal organization. Time for it to die,” Musk said, accusing the agency of “paying media organizations to publish their propaganda,” and even using US taxpayer dollars to fund “bioweapon research, including COVID-19, that killed millions of people.”
Over the weekend, the official USAID website went offline, and its X account disappeared amid reports that the White House considered merging the agency into the Department of State.
The DOGE was created by Trump as a presidential advisory commission dedicated to reducing government spending. Its goal is to cut at least $1 trillion in federal spending by July 2026. In late January, the DOGE claimed that it had already cutting federal spending by $1 billion per day. It has reportedly saved over $1 billion solely by eliminating contracts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).
Musk’s department has also been granted full access to the US Treasury Department’s payment system, which is considered sensitive and was previously restricted to a small group of career civil servants. (RT)
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