A recent order to shred and burn classified documents at U.S.A.I.D. has sparked criticism from unions and legal experts, emphasizing the agency's opaque dismantlement process.
U.S.A.I.D. Under Scrutiny for Document Destruction Amid Agency Dismantlement
U.S.A.I.D. Under Scrutiny for Document Destruction Amid Agency Dismantlement
Alarming directives from U.S.A.I.D. officials raise concerns over legal implications and record integrity.
A senior official at the U.S. Agency for International Development (U.S.A.I.D.) has come under fire for issuing orders to staff instructing them to shred or incinerate classified documents and personnel records. This directive seems part of a larger strategy amidst the ongoing dismantling of the agency under the Trump administration, raising serious concerns about transparency and legal compliance.
In an email to employees, acting executive secretary Erica Y. Carr outlined the procedure, urging staff to first shred documents whenever possible, reserving burn bags as a backup. Sources suggest that this is happening within an office environment drastically altered by mass layoffs, with many employees either fired or placed on paid leave.
The pressing issue now is whether U.S.A.I.D. officials, including Carr, sought approval from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) before initiating the document destruction. The Federal Records Act mandates that government officials consult the NARA for permission to eliminate documents, a requirement seemingly overlooked in this instance.
As certain documents may contain information pertinent to ongoing legal disputes—including lawsuits related to employee terminations and program funding freezes—the potential consequences of this destruction are concerning. The American Foreign Service Association, which represents career diplomats and is involved in ongoing litigation, has expressed alarm at the directive, emphasizing the importance of preserving records that could play a role in judicial proceedings.
Neither the State Department nor U.S.A.I.D. has provided comments regarding these serious allegations, leaving many unanswered questions about the future of the agency and the implications of its rapid disassembly. The timeline for the completion of these document destruction protocols remains uncertain, as does the fate of the remaining personnel involved in the agency's operations.
