The CIA has shared an unclassified list of its employees with another branch of the Trump administration, raising concerns about potential exposure of their identities and the risk of adversaries like China gaining insights into U.S. intelligence operations.
The move came as Trump decided to extend a surprising offer to two million federal employees, allowing them to continue receiving salaries while postponing their retirement until the end of September. The initiative now includes the CIA along with several other intelligence agencies involved in data collection through satellites, surveillance, and human intelligence methods. Thousands have accepted Trump’s offer of voluntary retirement but also now pose a major threat to the US.
All at Risk
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The list includes personnel from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the National Security Agency, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office.
These agencies play key roles in the country’s vast, multi-billion-dollar intelligence operations. The list specifically contains the names of agents recruited over the past two years, as DOGE head Elon Musk aims to reduce staffing levels and cut government costs.
In this regard, CIA employees are being treated similarly to other “provisional” workers who have yet to secure certain job protections, making them more susceptible to large-scale layoffs.
According to a report by The New York Times, the list featured the first name and first initial of the last name of recent hires.
Meanwhile, Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, strongly criticized the decision to disclose such identifying details.
“Those details are secret for a reason – because protecting the identities of CIA employees is critical to their safety and mission, a mission that helps keep Americans safe every day,” he said.
“From what I have learned, the CIA should not have transmitted these names in this fashion, nor should the White House have insisted on such a clearly irresponsible approach, one that could genuinely put people in danger,” he fumed, Fox News reported.
“We are complying with the Executive Orders, and are providing requested information through the appropriate channels,” a CIA spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
Too Aggressive a Move
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The complaint comes amid concerns of widespread layoffs at the CIA, as Trump and Musk push forward with a large-scale government restructuring. Trump has consistently criticized the CIA, often portraying it as part of a so-called “deep state,” and has had a contentious relationship with the agency since its findings that Russian cyber activities were intended to sway the 2016 election.
Notably, on his first full day in office in 2017, Trump delivered a speech in front of the CIA’s wall of honor, where he launched into a scathing attack on his political opponents and labeled the media as “among the most dishonest human beings on earth.”
Meanwhile, federal employees face a Monday deadline set by the Office of Personnel Management to accept the government’s offer. To boost participation, officials have even encouraged workers to consider using the deal as an opportunity to take a dream vacation.
A former official from the agency referred to the release of information in the CIA document as a “counterintelligence catastrophe,” according to the Times.
The actions have raised concerns that Trump and Musk may be trying to purge experienced analysts and replace them with people loyal to Trump.
The agency has not disclosed how many employees would be impacted by the offer, as new CIA Director John Ratcliffe moves to assert control over the agency and ensure its staff aligns with the administration’s national security objectives.
