DOJ heads tell staff not to reply to Musk demand for job details

Ben Penn, Bloomberg News on Feb 22, 2025

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WASHINGTON — Justice Department supervisors are directing employees to hold off on replying to the federal government-wide directive to describe recent job achievements—an Elon Musk order that DOJ staff worry will trigger ethics violations.

At least five DOJ office leaders quickly responded to the HR email— the latest mandate from Musk’s government efficiency team —by telling their staff not to detail their work until they receive further clarity, said five people familiar with the situation.

Among them, two U.S. attorneys offices messaged workers that the support office for all 93 U.S. attorneys was trying to gather guidance from DOJ leadership about how they can comply or whether the email was even legitimate, said two individuals.

Within an hour after the government’s HR office gave all federal employees Saturday two days to provide five bullets of what they accomplished last week, DOJ managers rushed to blast out words of assurance to their workforce, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to share internal office matters.

DOJ lawyers are concerned that disclosing nonpublic investigation details, including evidence before a grand jury, would amount to attorney misconduct, the sources said.

Musk wrote on social media Saturday that “failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

There was at least one notable exception to the orders to hold off on replying. Ed Martin, the staunch Trump loyalist leading the U.S. attorney’s office in Washington, gave his staff the go-ahead.

“DOGE and Elon are doing great work! History. We are happy to be participate,” Martin told his office, according to an email he posted on X. “Please respond to the HR email carefully with regard to confidentiality and our duties. Be general if you need to. If anyone gives you problems, I’ve got your back. You’re good.”

The Saturday afternoon message from the Office of Personnel Management advised government workers not to send “classified information, links, or attachments.”