The White House has dismissed concerns that the US Agency for International Development (USAID) has instructed employees to destroy confidential documents in an effort to shut down the agency by the Trump administration.
According to a motion filed in federal court on Tuesday by the government union, USAID's acting executive director Erica Kerr has directed employees to shred and burn the documents.
However, White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said the document remains available on computer systems.
“This was sent to about 30 employees,” Kelly said on the X-Post Tuesday night of Carr's orders. “The documents involved are old and mostly polite (content from other institutions), and the original still exists in categorized computer systems. More fake news hysteria!”
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The order arises as customs and border protections are poised to move into USAID buildings, according to White House spokesperson Anna Kelly. (Annabel Gordon/Reuters)
Everyone involved in the document elimination process had more than a secret security clearance, and not among those placed on administrative leave, administrative officials told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.
As a result, officials said those involved were familiar with the content they were processing and were appointed by the agency to review and carry out the purge.
Thousands of USAID employees took layoffs or managed leave in February and were made in accordance with recommendations from Government Efficiency (DOGE) to implement cuts targeting wasteful spending.
Carr said he “we issued an email to employees who first shred many documents and instructed them to reserve a burn bag when Shredder is no longer available or when they need a break.
The State Department, which oversees USAID, did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.
The U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs, a union representing people working in the U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs and several other groups, filed a complaint in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, with federal court demanding a temporary restraining order that would stop USAID from ordering employees to destroy documents.
Specifically, the group argued in the filing that Carr's order “indicates the rapid destruction of large agency records that cannot plausibly include a rational assessment of record keeping obligations in related documents.”
The US Foreign Office said it had monitored the situation and pressed USAID officials to issue more guidance on the directive.
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A former USAID employee will leave the headquarters building in Washington, DC on February 27, 2025. (Lee Green, Fox News Digital)
“Federal law is clear. Government records are crucial to transparency, accountability and the integrity of legal procedures,” the American Foreign Affairs Association said in a statement Tuesday.
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“The Federal Records Act of 1950 and its implementation regulations establish strict requirements for keeping official records, particularly official records that may be related to legal procedures,” the statement said. “In addition, illegal destruction of federal records can have serious legal consequences for those who are directed to act in violation of the law.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that the State Department will complete a six-week review and will cancel more than 80% of the USAID program.
