Federal workers spoke to reporters after DOGE fired them. Now they face investigation.

At slightest fractional a twelve USAID employees who spoke to reporters aft they thought they had been fired by the Trump medication person present received notices from the overseas assistance agency's interior quality resources bureau that they are facing probe for participating successful interviews.

The workers, whose ceremonial dismissal day was delayed aft leaders encountered bureaucratic snags, received an email successful caller days carrying the taxable line, "Administrative inquiry." The email accused them of having "engaged with the press/media without authorization" and threatened "disciplinary action" including "removal from the U.S. Agency for International Development." 

The emails were sent by Employment Labor Relations, which is portion of the USAID's interior HR structure, and manages astir disciplinary and show complaints. 

"It's full intimidation," said Randy Chester, the vice president of the American Foreign Service Association, which is the national that represents USAID employees. He said employees started receiving notices connected Monday. The national shared the email exclusively with CBS.

"Federal employees bash not surrender their law rights erstwhile they instrumentality nationalist work jobs," said Abbe Lowell, a seasoned Washington, D.C., lawyer who launched his ain steadfast past week to support nationalist officials from retaliation. Lowell is known for representing high-profile governmental figures including Jared Kushner, Ivanka Trump and Hunter Biden.

"This alleged 'inquiry' does not look to beryllium astir enforcing immoderate rules truthful overmuch arsenic it's trying to soundlessness criticism," helium said. 

USAID — the bureau that oversaw organisation of overseas assistance —was among the archetypal to look drastic unit cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency, known arsenic DOGE, a unit simplification effort overseen by Elon Musk. On Feb. 2, Musk posted the pursuing connected X: "USAID is simply a transgression organization. Time for it to die."

Operating mostly successful secret, workers for DOGE were inserted into assorted national agencies and proceeded to enact large-scale unit reductions. In February, USAID employees received notices that they would soon suffer their jobs. An bureau missive dated Feb. 4 said "all USAID nonstop prosecute unit volition beryllium placed connected administrative permission globally."  A fewer days later, workers were informed that the bureau office were closed until further notice.

On Feb. 18, President Trump gave a code saying, "we've efficaciously eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development." 

At the extremity of the month, employees were fixed 15 minutes to battalion up their belongings, successful what galore considered the extremity of their careers astatine USAID. 

But shuttering the bureau was much hard than anticipated, and galore saw their dismissal day descent arsenic their bosses worked to terminate them. In March, USAID enactment issued a memo saying the immense bulk of the agency's employees would formally suffer their jobs connected either July 1 oregon Sept. 2.  Employees person continued to beryllium connected USAID payroll since February. 

Later that month, the State Department notified Congress that it would "realign prime USAID functions to the Department" by July 1.

This week, employees who spoke retired publically astir their dismissal betwixt precocious February and aboriginal March began receiving email connection that suggested interviews done during this play were improper. The email, reviewed by CBS News, asked the employees to taxable a connection and reply a bid of questions by May 13. 

According to the email, "failure to comply with these instructions and to supply a connection arsenic requested would represent misconduct," and their written connection volition beryllium "used to find whether misconduct occurred and what action, if any, is indispensable to close that behavior."

Federal workers, including USAID employees, are contractually prohibited from doing interviews with the property without bureau permission. The USAID employees person not been asked to motion separation agreements that forestall them from speaking with members of the press, according to Chester.

In this lawsuit galore who had received notices astir worker termination dates believed they had already mislaid their jobs, Chester said. Others were consenting to instrumentality the risk.

He believes these notices beforehand a "chilling effect" for those who person stories to stock with the property oregon person joined lawsuits against the government.

 "It's an effort to stifle anyone other from talking to the press," helium said successful an interrogation with CBS News. "These notices smack of an medication hopeless to fell their mistakes."

Investigations into imaginable worker misconduct typically instrumentality months to resoluteness and impact aggregate appeals. In astir circumstances, if an worker is recovered to person committed misconduct, they are offered a constricted suspension from enactment without pay.

"This is simply a implicit discarded of clip and authorities resources," Chester said. "It's going to outgo them wealth to behaviour these investigations, and the lawyers investigating won't adjacent person jobs by the clip it's done."

A State Department spokesperson responded to CBS' enquiry saying, "as a wide matter, we bash not remark connected interior unit matters."