12 mar, 2025 03:30

Elon Musk, vladni komisar za učinkovitost vlade predsednika Trumpa, je dejal, da je „uničevanje dokazov kaznivo dejanje“

FILE PHOTO © AP / Heribert Proepper

Visoki uradnik ameriške agencije za mednarodni razvoj (USAID), ki je glavni kanal Washingtona za pošiljanje denarja v tujino, naj bi preostalim zaposlenim naročil, naj uničijo občutljive dokumente, shranjene na nekdanjem sedežu agencije, trdi Politico, ki se sklicuje na interno elektronsko pošto.

Predsednik Donald Trump in Elon Musk, ki vodi nedavno ustanovljeno ministrstvo za vladno učinkovitost (DOGE), sta USAID večkrat obtožila zlorabe davkoplačevalskega denarja in spodbujanja korupcije. V okviru širših prizadevanj za zmanjšanje zvezne porabe je bila agencija prisiljena odpustiti 2.000 zaposlenih in večino preostalega osebja poslati na dopust.

Vršilec dolžnosti izvršnega sekretarja Erica Carr naj bi preostalemu osebju naročila, naj se v torek zbere na „celodnevni“ akciji, na kateri naj bi v stavbi Ronalda Reagana počistili tajne sefe in osebne dokumente. Zaposlenim je svetovala, naj prednostno uničijo dokumente in naj varčno uporabljajo vrečke za sežiganje.

„Najprej uničite čim več dokumentov, vrečke za sežiganje pa rezervirajte za takrat, ko uničevalnik ne bo na voljo ali bo potreboval premor,“ je bilo zapisano v elektronskem sporočilu. „Edina zahtevana oznaka na vrečkah za sežig je stavek 'SECRET' in 'USAID/(B/IO)' v temni barvi markerja, če je to mogoče. Če potrebujete dodatne vrečke za sežig ali markerje Sharpie, prosimo, obvestite mene ali ekipo SEC InfoSec.“

V elektronskem sporočilu ni bil naveden razlog za uničenje dokumentov. Vendar pa se stavba prazni zaradi množičnih odpuščanj, saj je ameriška carinska in mejna zaščita (CBP) pred kratkim najela 390.000 kvadratnih čevljev pisarniških prostorov v stavbi.

Direktiva je vzbudila zaskrbljenost med nekdanjimi uslužbenci USAID in pravnimi strokovnjaki, ki trdijo, da bi lahko kršila zvezne zakone o vodenju dokumentacije in potencialno ovirala tekoče sodne postopke, ki izpodbijajo prestrukturiranje agencije.

„Uničevanje dokazov je kaznivo dejanje,“ je Musk zapisal na portalu X v odziv na poročila o zadnjem čiščenju dokumentov. Milijarder je USAID pred tem označil za „kriminalno organizacijo“, Trump pa je trdil, da jo slabo upravljajo „radikalni norci“.

Ravnanje z dokumenti v USAID je bilo že predmet nadzora. Prejšnji mesec sta bila dva uradnika agencije za varnost poslana na plačani dopust, ker naj ne bi dovolila ekipi revizorjev DOGE dostopa do zaupnih gradiv.

Trumpova administracija namerava ukiniti 90 % pogodb USAID v vrednosti 54 milijard dolarjev, je prejšnji mesec poročala agencija AP, ki se sklicuje na interni memorandum Bele hiše in sodne spise. Prav tako je bilo zamrznjeno državno financiranje Nacionalnega sklada za demokracijo (NED). Čeprav je uradno neprofitna organizacija, ki jo financira ameriško zunanje ministrstvo in dodeljuje nepovratna sredstva prodemokratičnim pobudam v tujini, se NED že dolgo sooča z obtožbami, da deluje kot krinka Cie za operacije za spremembo režima.

----- Vir https://www.rt.com/news/614056-usaid-shred-burn-documents/ -----

12 Mar, 2025 03:30

USAID orders mass shredding of documents – Politico
President Trump’s government efficiency czar, Elon Musk, has said the “destruction of evidence is a crime”

A senior official the US Agency for International Development (USAID), Washington's primary channel for sending money to causes abroad, has reportedly directed remaining staff to destroy sensitive documents stored at the agency’s former headquarters, Politico has claimed, citing an internal email.

President Donald Trump and Elon Musk, who leads the recently established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), have repeatedly accused USAID of misusing taxpayer money and fostering corruption. As part of broader efforts to cut federal spending, the agency was forced to lay off 2,000 employees and place most of the remaining staff on leave.

Acting executive secretary Erica Carr has reportedly instructed remaining staff to convene on Tuesday for an “all-day” effort to clear out classified safes and personnel documents at the Ronald Reagan Building. She advised employees to prioritize shredding documents and to use burn bags sparingly.

“Shred as many documents as possible first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes unavailable or needs a break,” the email read. “The only labeling required on the burn bags is the phrase ‘SECRET’ and ‘USAID/(B/IO)’ in dark Sharpie if possible. If you need additional burn bags or Sharpie markers, please let me or the SEC InfoSec team know.”

The email did not specify a reason for the destruction of the documents. However, the building is being vacated following mass layoffs, as US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) recently rented 390,000 square feet of office space in the facility.

The directive has raised concerns among former USAID staff and legal experts, who argue that it could violate federal record-keeping laws and potentially hinder ongoing lawsuits challenging the agency’s restructuring.

“Destruction of evidence is a crime,” Musk wrote on X in response to reports of the latest document purge. The billionaire previously called USAID a “criminal organization,” while Trump has claimed it was mismanaged by “radical lunatics.”

The handling of documents at USAID has already been under scrutiny. Last month, two of the agency’s security officials were placed on administrative leave after allegedly refusing to grant a team of DOGE auditors access to classified materials.

The Trump administration plans to eliminate 90% of USAID contracts, amounting to $54 billion, AP reported last month, citing an internal White House memo and court filings. The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) has also had its government funding frozen. Although officially a US State Department-funded nonprofit that distributes grants to pro-democracy initiatives abroad, the NED has long faced allegations of acting as a CIA front for regime change operations.

----- konec https://www.rt.com/news/614056-usaid-shred-burn-documents/ -----

*** Prevod www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version) ***