Leaked USAID email causes major concern after telling staff to 'shred and burn classified documents'

An email sent to staff at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) is causing concern as it instructed staff to burn classified documents and personal files.

In the email, which was leaked and eventually shared on social media, Acting Executive Secretary Erica Y Carr thanked staff for clearing out sensitive documents from an office in Washington D.C.

“Shred as many documents first, and reserve the burn bags for when the shredder becomes available or needs a break,” the email to staff read, a copy of the email was reviewed by the BBC.

Staffers were also instructed to write ‘secret’ on the bag with a marker.

In addition to thanking staff for carrying out ‘classified sages and personnel documents’ at the USAID HQ, the email also told staffers to report to work from Tuesday.

President Trump has made a lot of changes since his inauguration two months ago (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

On Tuesday (11 March) a union for USAID contractors asked a federal judge to intervene in any destruction of classified documents. Judge Carl Nichols set a deadline of Wednesday morning for the plaintiffs and the government to brief him regarding the issue, AP reports.

The Trump administration has been dismantling USAID and has cut most federal funding and ended 83% of humanitarian and development programs abroad.

As lawsuits against the Trump administration pile in over the sudden shutdown of most US foreign assistance and the targeting of the aid agency, Personal Services Contractor Association - which represents thousands of furloughed and fired USAID contractors - asked the judge to stop any documents from being destroyed so evidence and be preserved.

The State Department did not immediately respond to questions sent by AP about the email and whether staffers were following legally required procedures for document destruction, which is closely regulated by federal law as it the collection and retention of classified material.

Improper handling or disposal can be charged as a crime.

Tech boss Elon Musk heads the Department of Government Efficiency (Samuel Corum/Getty Images)

It wasn't immediately clear whether the agency had retained copies of the documents designated for destruction, the BBC reports.

The American Foreign Service Association (AFSA), a union representing USAID staff, said it was "alarmed" by the reports and warned that such documents "may be relevant to ongoing litigation regarding the termination of USAID employees and the cessation of USAID grants".

USAID was one of the first agencies targeted by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), created by the Trump administration and led by Elon Musk to eliminate what it sees as waste and fraud within the federal bureaucracy.

The Tesla CEO called the agency "evil," while the White House has criticised its international programs as a squandered use of taxpayer dollars.