Trump Orders CIA To Send Unclassified Employee List, Sparks Security Fears

US President Donald Trump has ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to send an unclassified email listing all employees who have been with the agency for two years or less. This executive order comes amid Trump's broader initiative to shrink the federal workforce.

The list included new hires' first names and the initials of their last names, as they are still on probation and, therefore, easier to dismiss. The agency recently recruited young analysts and operators, particularly to focus on China. Their identities are typically highly protected, as Chinese hackers are constantly attempting to identify them.

A former agency officer described the release of names in an unclassified email as a "counterintelligence disaster."

Some former officials feared the list could be shared with a group of recently hired young software professionals working with Elon Musk and his government efficiency team. If that happened, China, Russia, or other foreign intelligence services might find it easier to identify and target these employees.

Mark Warner, US Senator from Virginia and Vice Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, posted on X, stating: "Exposing the identities of officials who do extremely sensitive work would put a direct target on their backs for China. A disastrous national security development."

Exposing the identities of officials who do extremely sensitive work would put a direct target on their backs for China. A disastrous national security development.

— Mark Warner (@MarkWarner) February 5, 2025

Some employees have uncommon first names and initials, making it easier to cross-reference their identities with publicly available data. Information from driver's licenses and car registration systems, social media accounts, and university records, where the CIA frequently recruits, could be pieced together to form a more complete list. This could end the careers of young officers before they even begin.

Earlier this week, the CIA became the first major national security agency to offer buyouts to its employees as part of another effort to reduce the federal workforce. The agency stated that the decision was "part of a holistic strategy to infuse the Agency with renewed energy."