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==USAid employees told to destroy classified documents, email shows

Officials have begun large-scale destruction of classified documents, including using shredders and ‘burn bags’==

USAid employees told to destroy classified documents, email shows

Officials have begun large-scale destruction of classified documents, including using shredders and ‘burn bags’

US politics live – latest updates

Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Tue 11 Mar 2025 14.52 EDT

Officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAid) have begun a large-scale destruction of classified documents at their headquarters in the Ronald Reagan building in Washington DC including with shredders and using “burn bags”, according to an internal email seen by the Guardian.

The email, sent by the acting USAid secretary, Erica Y Carr, instructs staff on procedures for clearing “classified safes and personnel documents” through shredding and the use of “burn bags” marked “SECRET” throughout the day on Tuesday.

“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” Carr wrote in the email, which provides detailed instructions on how to properly seal and label the burn bags.

USAid employees told to destroy classified documents, email shows

Officials have begun large-scale destruction of classified documents, including using shredders and ‘burn bags’

US politics live – latest updates

Joseph Gedeon in Washington

Tue 11 Mar 2025 14.52 EDT

Officials at the US Agency for International Development (USAid) have begun a large-scale destruction of classified documents at their headquarters in the Ronald Reagan building in Washington DC including with shredders and using “burn bags”, according to an internal email seen by the Guardian.

The email, sent by the acting USAid secretary, Erica Y Carr, instructs staff on procedures for clearing “classified safes and personnel documents” through shredding and the use of “burn bags” marked “SECRET” throughout the day on Tuesday.

“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” Carr wrote in the email, which provides detailed instructions on how to properly seal and label the burn bags.

Email from USAid obtained by the Guardian. Photograph: Obtained by The Guardian

The timing of this document purge comes amid ongoing controversy over what is essentially the shuttering of USAid following the Trump administration’s attempts to reshape the independent agency through the so-called “department of government efficiency” (Doge).

Doge is headed by Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, and he has been tasked with slashing the number of jobs at the federal government and the amount of money it spends. Amid the huge turmoil that has gripped the US government as the Musk-led Doge carries out its activities, USAid has been among the worst-hit government agencies.

The huge cuts at USAid have affected projects across the globe as vast numbers of projects are paused, shuttered or have their funding slashed. There has been widespread outcry at the move from USAid workers but also across the international development sector as they warn of the detrimental impact it will have on some of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

When federal agencies are dissolved or restructured, their records are typically transferred to successor agencies or the National Archives and Records Administration (Nara) in accordance with the Federal Records Act (FRA). During the US’s hasty exit out of Afghanistan in 2021, Nara sent a reminder to safely and lawfully discard sensitive documents.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/mar/11/usaid-staff-documents

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But compliance with the FRA in this situation is deeply in question, since the law explicitly prohibits the destruction of government records before their designated retention period – typically a minimum of three years. There’s also lingering concern that it risks permanently eliminating evidence needed for ongoing Freedom of Information Act (Foia) requests and future oversight investigations.

USAid’s office of the inspector general last year announced that it had initiated an investigation on agency oversight of Musk’s Starlink terminals being sent to and used by the government of Ukraine.

Democratic members of the Senate foreign relations committee sent a letter to the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, in February demanding answers about Doge’s access to USAid headquarters and agency records, though they did not specifically address potential document destruction.

It’s unclear whether proper records management protocols are being followed during this process, or if documents that should be preserved are being destroyed.

“If you need additional burn bags or sharpie markers, please let me or the SEC InfoSec Team know,” the email said.

The state department did not respond to a request for comment.

USAID Official Issues Stunning Order to Remaining Staffers: Shred and Burn All Your Documents, Including Classified Ones

A stunning email issued by a USAID official today will generate a national uproar and provoke another massive legal battle.

Politico obtained an email from a senior official at USAID ordering the remaining staff to convene at the agency’s former headquarters on Tuesday to destroy all remaining documents by either shredding or burning them.

USAID’s acting executive secretary Erica Carr told the staff to meet at the RRB 14th Street Lobby to “shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break.”

Carr also ordered staff to label the burn bags with the words “SECRET” and “USAID/B/IO/” in dark Sharpie, if possible. She also said to make sure the burn bags did not overfill and to close them with staples at the top.

This means classified documents will be (and are) being burned.

Here is the email:

A former USAID official confirmed to Politico that the email was real and said he had “never seen something like this.”

“I’ve never seen something like this — en masse. Everyone with a safe is supposed to keep it up to date and destroy documents when they no longer need to be stored. Sometimes security will check your safe and tell you if you have to clean out old material.”

NBC News reported that groups challenging the Trump administration’s efforts to shutter USAID have filed an emergency motion to stop this destruction immediately.

“Defendants are, as this motion is being filed, destroying documents with potential pertinence to this litigation,” the filing reads.

“Although Plaintiffs do not know at this moment which records are being destroyed, the destruction of records may severely undermine the agency’s ability to function. For example, destruction of records that contain information about the agency’s operations may make it extraordinarily difficult— if not impossible—to recreate and rebuild agency programming” if their lawsuit is successful, the motion adds.

NBC News notes that U.S. District Judge Carl Nichols, who was appointed by Trump, is presiding over the case and has yet to rule on the request. Both sides have been ordered to file a status report on the motion by tomorrow morning and a schedule for moving forward.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/03/usaid-official-issues-stunning-order-remaining-staffers-shred/