USAID employees told to destroy internal documents: Report

By Rabia Iclal Turan

WASHINGTON (AA) - The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has ordered employees to destroy internal documents, including those related to personnel and classified material, a report said Tuesday.

According to an email obtained by The Washington Post, a senior USAID official directed staff to shred or burn records at the agency’s Washington, DC headquarters.

The order, signed by the agency’s Acting Executive Secretary, Erica Y. Carr, has sparked alarm on Capitol Hill, where lawmakers are reminding the administration of legal prohibitions on destroying government documents.

The directive follows sweeping efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to dismantle USAID, including canceling most of its contracts, terminating at least 1,600 positions, and placing nearly its entire global workforce of 10,000 employees on administrative leave.

Trump adviser Elon Musk, a leading proponent of USAID’s shutdown, has called the agency a “criminal organization” without providing evidence.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that the Trump administration's six-week review of USAID led to canceling 83% of its programs, citing misuse of funds and harm to US interests.

USAID and the State Department have yet to comment on the report.