Kash Patel Tells FBI Employees to Ignore Elon Musk’s Justify-Your-Job Edict
The new director of the FBI sent an email to all FBI employees late Saturday.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Cracks may already be showing in the Trump administration, with newly sworn-in FBI director Kash Patel sending an email to all his department’s employees instructing them to “pause any responses” they may have been working on following Elon Musk’s request that federal employees provide weekly summaries of their accomplishments or risk losing their jobs. The email, obtained by NBC, reads, “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. When and if further information is required, we will coordinate the responses. For now, please pause any responses.” Musk had previously requested that federal employees respond to his email with “approx. 5 bullets of what you accomplished this week” and CC their managers, adding on X that “Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation.”
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