New FBI chief Kash Patel defied Elon Musk's mass email to federal workers as he ordered agents to ignore DOGE's latest efficiency crackdown.
Patel instructed agents at the bureau to disregard an email Musk sent to workers earlier on Saturday, titled: 'What did you do last week?'
Musk's email ordered workers to reply to the message with five bullets detailing all of their accomplishments at work in the past week and to cc in their manager.
Not long after, Patel overruled Musk's memo with his own message, making it clear that the FBI '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,' he wrote.
Patel's interference is one of his first moves as the new head of the FBI, offering a glimpse at potential rifts within the MAGA world as Musk continues tearing apart the federal government.
When he sent the original email earlier Saturday, Musk also took to his X platform to threaten any employees that do not reply to him with termination.
It remains to be seen if Musk will attempt to make good on his threat to fire any FBI agents that follow Patel's guidelines, pitting the two Trump insiders against each other. The FBI did not immediately respond to request for comment.
New FBI chief Kash Patel, pictured with Elon Musk's baby mama Ashley St. Clair at Trump's inauguration, defied the billionaire on Saturday as he ordered agents to ignore DOGE's latest efficiency crackdown
Musk sent a mass email to federal workers on Saturday ordering them to detail what they accomplished at work in the last week, and threatened those that ignore him with termination
Musk's email was titled 'What did you do last week?'
Soon after Musk sent his email, Patel stepped in and ordered his agents at the FBI to ignore Musk's prompt despite his threat of termination
Musk's email to all federal agents demanding they detail their work weeks to him came after President Trump ordered him to be 'more aggressive' with his cost-cutting measures.
'Consistent with President @realDonaldTrump's instructions, all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week,' he wrote on X.
'Failure to respond will be taken as a resignation,' the Space X founder added.
It is unclear if this threat could be upheld legally or if it violates US labor laws.
Many federal employees are also unionized, which typically provides extra security measures when it comes to termination by forcing the employer to have 'just cause.'
In addition, many unions have already begun to sue the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) and the Trump Administration for bulldozing through departments and affecting many federal employees' jobs.
When Trump and Musk attempted to put 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave, two unions sued and won a temporary restraining order - which has since been reversed.
Judge Carl J. Nichols, who was appointed by Trump in 2019, issued a temporary restraining order on February 7 that blocked the president from placing 2,200 USAID workers on paid leave.
The standoff between Musk and Patel came after President Trump ordered Musk to be 'more aggressive' with his DOGE cost-cutting
DOGE has cut tens of billion dollars from the federal budget in its first month in power, starkly dividing opinions in Washington and across the nation
Two unions associated with the agency had filed a last-minute lawsuit in an attempt to save it after Trump argued that the overseas aid agency is not a valuable use of taxpayer money and wanted to dismantle it.
They argue that the government was violating the US Constitution and that USAID workers were suffering harm, but Nichols wrote in a decision on Friday that they hadn't proved USAID workers would be irreparably harmed.
However, Nichols also noted that that could change in the future as Trump and Musk's doings play out.
As the purge of many federal jobs continues, Musk said he would look into James Fishback's X proposal of a 'DOGE dividend,' which would give each US household a $5,000 stimulus check out of the money saved through the billionaire's department.
Musk replied that he was 'curious', but said that he 'will check with the President.'
DOGE has cut tens of billion dollars from the federal budget in its first month in power, starkly dividing opinions in Washington as some praise the cost-cutting measures while others argue the widespread cuts have also impacted needed work.
While some have fumed over some cuts, including firing a number of Department of Energy workers that oversee America's nuclear arsenal, which Trump quickly reversed, MAGA Republicans say other funding was a huge waste.
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