Concerns about espionage rise as Trump and Musk fire thousands of federal workers

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: AP

Updated 12:10 AM EDT, March 24, 2025


WASHINGTON (AP) — As President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk work to overhaul the federal government, they’re forcing out thousands of workers with insider knowledge and connections who now need a job.

For Russia, China and other adversaries, the upheaval in Washington as Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency guts government agencies presents an unprecedented opportunity to recruit informants, national security and intelligence experts say.

Every former federal worker with knowledge of or access to sensitive information or systems could be a target. When thousands of them leave their jobs at the same time, that creates a lot of targets, as well as a counterespionage challenge for the United States.

“This information is highly valuable, and it shouldn’t be surprising that Russia and China and other organizations — criminal syndicates for instance — would be aggressively recruiting government employees,” said Theresa Payton, a former White House chief information officer under President George W. Bush, who now runs her own cybersecurity firm.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-musk-espionage-doge-032d2eb798e4d9d97ea7c5d6dc2ecf93

[FailureToCommunicate]

1. Duh. That seemed like Putin's plan from the get-go.

[surfered]

2. Angry, unemployed civil servants who know things

[MLWR]

3. Angry, unemployed civil servants who know things

aren't going to feel much loyalty to the Krasnov-government which has treated them so shabbily.

[SupportSanity]

4. Is anyone trying to organize federal workers who have been fired by Musk?

Seems like they would be a mighty powerful entity.
There's a lot of anger out there - great performers fired without cause would be a good motivator to join together.

[BumRushDaShow]

6. Many of the unions have been among those who were in the various bargaining units

although the firing and reinstatements have been "in flux", so there is no "central organizing" that I have found... at least yet (an employee who was fired might be back already and is laying low).

[PSPS]

5. There's that new trump-era AP style guide again

They have to use "work to overhaul the federal government" when it's really "work to dismantle the federal government"

[birdographer]

7. So there's this angry guy

who was fired from his job with the government for no reason by a man with no authority whatsoever to fire him, and it’s making his life miserable now. He has information. Gee, what do you suppose he might want in exchange for that information? (Hint: It’s not his job back.)