According to a job posting reviewed by CBS News, the United States Agency for International Development is seeking to hire more lawyers to investigate employee misconduct, including “unauthorized communications with the media.”
“Lawyers will be expected to conduct investigations into general employee misconduct, and more specifically violations of various federal government regulations and policies, such as, for example, rules governing unauthorized communications with the media,” says the article, which was written by a recruiter named Highlight. The American Foreign Service Association, the union that represents USAID employees, believes the posting is genuine.
The effort to broaden the Trump administration’s crackdown on fired employees who speak to the media is the latest escalation in an ongoing feud between the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, and the thousands of federal employees who have been ordered by the roving team to clean out their desks.
According to the job posting, the newly hired lawyers will be expected to “defend vigorously over 200 grievances filed by employees.” According to the post, applicants will report to the USAID Deputy General Counsel.
A State Department spokesperson told CBS News, “We do not comment on any matters related to personnel or litigation.”
Some USAID employees received emails last week informing them that they were under “administrative inquiry” because they had “engaged with the press/media without authorization.” The emails, sent by USAID’s internal HR body, threatened “disciplinary action” including “removal from the U.S. Agency for International Development.”
Critics of the DOGE effort cited the latest job posting as further evidence that the agency is attempting to intimidate workers who object to the firings.
“The posting raises the question, why? What is the agency’s ultimate goal if they are successful? said Randy Chester, vice president of the American Foreign Service Association.
The majority of USAID employees are expected to be let go later this year as part of an agency-wide downsizing led by Elon Musk and DOGE. According to internal memos, more than 1,000 employees will be laid off by July 1 or September 2.
“What more could they do to someone who will be separating from the agency?” Chester informed CBS News. “It seems like the administration is scrambling.”
USAID, the agency in charge of distributing foreign aid, was among the first to face drastic personnel cuts from DOGE. On February 2, Musk wrote on X that “USAID is a criminal organization.” It’s time for it to die.
DOGE employees were placed in various federal agencies and carried out large-scale force reductions in secret. Employees at USAID were notified in February that they would soon be laid off. CBS News obtained an agency letter dated February 4 that stated “all USAID direct hire personnel will be placed on administrative leave globally.” A few days later, employees were informed that the agency headquarters would be closed until further notice.
On February 18, President Trump stated, “We’ve effectively eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development.”
Employees were given 15 minutes to pack their belongings at the end of February, signaling the end of many of their careers at USAID.
However, shutting down the agency proved more difficult than expected, and many employees saw their dismissal dates pushed back as their bosses worked to terminate them. In March, USAID leadership issued a memo pushing the majority of employees’ end dates to the summer and fall. Employees have remained on the USAID payroll since February.
Employees who spoke out publicly about their dismissal between late February and early March began receiving emails last week suggesting that interviews conducted during this time period may have violated the agency’s code of conduct. CBS News reviewed the email, which requested that employees submit a statement and respond to a series of questions by May 13.
The email states that “failure to comply with these instructions and to provide a statement as requested would constitute misconduct,” and that their written statement will be “used to determine whether misconduct occurred and what action, if any, is necessary to correct that behavior.”
Federal employees, including USAID employees, are not permitted to conduct press interviews without agency permission, according to the agency conduct code. According to Chester, USAID employees have not been asked to sign separation agreements preventing them from speaking with members of the press.
“It’s total intimidation,” Chester said. Last week, the union shared the email with CBS News exclusively.
“Federal employees do not give up their constitutional rights when they take public service jobs,” said Abbe Lowell, a veteran Washington, D.C., attorney who founded his own firm last week to protect public officials from retaliation.
According to Chester, many employees who received notices about their termination dates believed they had already lost their jobs. Others were willing to take the risk, he explained.