Washington (Agencies): The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has reportedly directed its remaining staff to destroy sensitive documents stored at the agency’s former headquarters, according to an internal email obtained by Politico. This directive comes amid accusations from President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, the head of the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), who have accused USAID of misusing taxpayer money and fostering corruption.
As part of broader efforts to cut federal spending, USAID was forced to lay off 2,000 employees and place most of the remaining staff on leave. Acting executive secretary Erica Carr has instructed the remaining staff to convene for an “all-day” effort to clear out classified safes and personnel documents at the Ronald Reagan Building. Employees were advised to prioritize shredding documents and to use burn bags sparingly.
“Shred as many documents as possible first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” the email read. The directive has raised concerns among former USAID staff and legal experts, who argue that it could violate federal record-keeping laws and potentially hinder ongoing lawsuits challenging the agency’s restructuring.
Elon Musk, who has previously called USAID a “criminal organization,” responded to reports of the document purge by stating, “Destruction of evidence is a crime.” President Trump has also claimed that USAID was mismanaged by “radical lunatics.”
The handling of documents at USAID has already been under scrutiny. Last month, two of the agency’s security officials were placed on administrative leave after allegedly refusing to grant a team of DOGE auditors access to classified materials. The Trump administration plans to eliminate 90% of USAID contracts, amounting to $54 billion, and has frozen government funding for the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), which has faced allegations of acting as a CIA front for regime change operations.