Patel tells FBI staff to ignore Musk’s productivity email

Oliver O’Connell, The Independent

Elon Musk’s email ultimatum to federal workers, sent as part of his supposedly unofficial role as the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency, is facing pushback from across Washington, DC just hours after it was sent. And some of the backlash is coming from unexpected corners of the Trump administration, perhaps teasing early signs of power struggles to come. “Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump’s instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,” Musk wrote Saturday afternoon. “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”

Federal workers received an email from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) asking, “What did you do last week?” They were instructed to reply with five bullet points outlining their accomplishments in the previous seven days, excluding any classified information.

A deadline of 11:59pm EST on Monday was given. Understandably, the email triggered confusion and questions about the legality of Musk’s move. According to a White House legal filing, Musk officially has no federal government role or authority. The most strident response came from the FBI and its newly sworn-in director, Kash Patel. He sent his own email to employees to clarify where the bureau stood. “FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information. The FBI, through the Office of the Director, is in charge of all of our review processes and will conduct reviews in accordance with FBI procedures,” Patel wrote, according to an NBC report.

“When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.” Similarly, at the State Department, Ambassador Tibor Nagy, currently performing the duties of the Under Secretary for Management, emailed colleagues to say that no one is obligated to report their activities outside of their Department chain of command. “The State Department will respond on behalf of the Department,” Nagy wrote. Supervisors at the Department of Justice also told employees to refrain from replying to the email, as they feared it could trigger ethics violations. Bloomberg Law, citing five people familiar with the situation, reports that at least five DOJ office leaders quickly responded to the email by telling their staff not to detail their work until they receive further clarity.

Two sources told the outlet that two US attorney’s offices messaged workers that the support office for all 93 US attorneys was trying to gather guidance from DOJ leadership about how to comply or whether the email was even legitimate. A notable exception to the orders to hold off on replying was Trump loyalist Ed Martin, who now leads the US attorney’s office in Washington. Martin gave his staff the go-ahead to reply. “DOGE and Elon are doing great work! History. We are happy to 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.” ABC News reports that the acting U.S. attorney in Maryland, Philip Selden, sent a message to his office saying: “We are seeking guidance from [DOJ] about how employees in our office should respond to this request. Please note we want to be thoughtful given the sensitivity of the work we do every day. For example, grand jury secrecy as outlined by Rule 6(e), confidentiality, identifying uncharged targets, wiretap information, attorney-client privilege, etc. I suggest holding off on responding until we receive guidance.” The Musk OPM email is also reported to have been received by employees of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One report suggested that some 2 million federal workers received it. CNN reports that the email even went to air traffic controllers, with their union telling the network that it wasn’t clear how and when the understaffed workforce would be able to respond. The country’s more than 10,000 air traffic controllers are already working mandatory six-day weeks of ten-hour shifts, the union said.

Meanwhile, at the Pentagon, The Washington Post reports that one defense official said his manager told employees that they were “considering guidance” having received the email, though it was not clear if such guidance would come. The Post says that the official’s reaction to the situation was to send a reporter a well-known gif of the Muppet Elmo in hell, his arms outstretched while surrounded by fire. One of the more fiery responses came from Senator Tina Smith, junior senator for Minnesota. She wrote on X, mocking Musk’s own questionable employment status with the federal government.