Elon Musk and Kash Patel (file photos)
New York: Indian-origin US domestic intelligence head Kash Patel and other top government officials in sensitive areas are defying Elon Musk, instructing employees to disregard his order to submit weekly reports or face termination.
Musk had demanded that employees provide five bullet-pointed responses about their work the previous week.
Musk set a Monday deadline for the more than 2.5 million federal employees to reply or lose their jobs.
The defiance of investigative, intelligence, defence, and diplomacy officials tests Musk's authority that flows directly from President Donald Trump. Trump has tasked Musk with cutting costs and improving efficiency in the federal government through the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
If Trump backs Musk, that could lead to a widespread showdown across areas vital to national security.
Musk and Trump are appealing to the scepticism of most citizens towards the working of the bureaucracy and antipathy towards government employees.
Musk posted on X, "The reason this matters is that a significant number of people who are supposed to be working for the government are doing so little work that they are not checking their email at all!"
Patel, who took over the crucial role of the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) last week, sent a memo to the employees of his agency asking them not to respond to Musk's demand.
National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard wrote a similar note to the Intelligence Community made up of agencies under her supervision.
She pointed out that the nature of their work is "inherently sensitive and classified."
The National Security Agency and the Defence, Homeland Security and State departments have also instructed their staff to ignore the directive from Musk, who heads the Department of Government Efficiency. (DOGE).
Disclosing details of their work could jeopardize ongoing investigations and sensitive cases, posing a significant risk to national security.
Staking his authority, Patel wrote, "The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures."
Musk has not responded to Patel or Gabbard but threatened on X that "anyone with the attitude of that Pentagon official needs to look for a new job."
It is not clear either what Musk's reaction is to this defiant attitude of key members of Trump''s administrative team.
Darin Selnick, the acting under-secretary for personnel and readiness, issued the instruction countermanding Musk's demand.
Elon Musk, heading the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), has been at the center of controversy surrounding the shutdown of USAID and mass firings of government employees. Despite its official-sounding name, DOGE lacks constitutional and legal standing as a government department.
Musk's actions have raised concerns about national security, with the National Nuclear Safety Agency recalling most of the 300 staff ordered laid off due to imminent threats to national security. Additionally, the Food and Drug Administration recalled some dismissed scientists working on Musk's company, Neuralink, to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
President Trump has publicly expressed support for Musk, encouraging him to be more aggressive in his efforts. However, the courts will ultimately decide on the mass firings, with unions threatening lawsuits. A temporary reprieve was granted to Trump's administration after a judge reversed a restraining order against the firing of USAID employees.
(with inputs from IANS)