Zeynep Katre Oran and Efe Ozkan
06 February 2025•Update: 06 February 2025
ISTANBUL
According to various sources, the CIA has forwarded an email to the White House with the names of personnel hired over the last two years, a controversial move due to fears it could expose intelligence operatives and leave them vulnerable to attacks.
CNN, citing three different sources, reported Thursday that the list, which was shared with the White House's Office of Personnel Management, included data on young analysts and agents who were hired specifically to work on China and which were “kept confidential because they were being targeted by Chinese hackers.”
The CIA's move is part of an effort by US President Donald Trump to downsize and reshape the federal government, the report said.
Numerous reports say Trump is seeking to rid the government of people seen as not loyal to him and fill it with hand-picked loyalists, but under the law, federal employees can only be fired due to cause, not political beliefs.
In his first term, Trump treated US intelligence agencies with skepticism, often viewing them as not sufficiently loyal and willing to do his bidding.
Security concerns and downsizing
A CIA official told the New York Times that only the first and last initials of personnel hired in the last two years were shared, hoping to protect personal data.
But some former CIA employees and government officials argued that the list could be “easily intercepted” by China, Russia or other foreign intelligence services because it was sent to the White House via email.
The news comes as reports suggest that around 20,000 federal employees have accepted US President Donald Trump's limited-time buyout offer, which allows employees to be paid through Sept. 30 and leave their jobs now if they do not wish to return to the office. Unions have pushed back against the offer.
The CIA allegedly also offered to all its employees that they “quit” and told them they would receive their benefits, alongside 2 million federal employees who have also received these buyouts from the Trump administration.
