Senior security staff at the U.S. Agency for International Development have been put on leave by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump after they refused to allow representatives from billionaire Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to access restricted parts of the building, people familiar with the matter have said.
The security officials contended that staff with Musk’s team lacked the required clearances, making them legally obliged to deny access, the people said.
"DOGE did access the building yesterday," a senior Senate Democratic aide said, requesting anonymity to discuss the incident. "They (security personnel) were threatened with action by the federal Marshals Service," the aide said. Following the incident, the director of USAID security, John Voorhees, and his deputy were removed from their positions and put on leave, the sources said.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.