FBI Director Kash Patel ordered bureau staff on Saturday not to respond to an email from the Office of Personnel Management—an initiative backed by Elon Musk—requiring federal employees to justify their roles or step down. The directive came as reports emerged that Patel would be appointed as the interim head of a second federal law enforcement agency.
The email was sent by the Office of Personnel Management on Saturday, asking federal workers to outline their tasks from the past week. The message from the Office of Personnel Management was distributed shortly after Musk posted on X, hinting that such a request was imminent, multiple sources told ABC News.
Patel Asks to Pause Musk's Orders
Patel, who was sworn in for a 10-year term on Friday, responded by advising FBI employees to not answer the demand letter. "FBI personnel may have received an email from OPM requesting information," Patel said in his message, the outlet reported.
"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 response."
The intimidating emails were sent after Musk, head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), posted on X that "all federal employees will shortly receive an email requesting to understand what they got done last week."
The SpaceX founder warned that failing to respond to the request would be considered a resignation.
However, according to CNN, the email from the Office of Personnel Management set a Monday deadline for replies but did not specify that ignoring it would be treated as a resignation.
The tech mogul, serving as an unpaid "special government employee," has already dismissed thousands of federal workers and shut down entire agencies without congressional authorization.
As the world's richest man, he is working with a team of 100 budget-cutters to reduce the federal deficit by $1 trillion.
This latest shake up in the federal government coincides with President Trump's expected appointment of 44-year-old Kash Patel as the head of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, according to a Justice Department official who spoke to ABC News.
In a New Role
Patel reportedly is set to be sworn in as the acting director of the law enforcement agency next week. His dual role follows Attorney General Pam Bondi's decision to dismiss ATF General Counsel Pamela Hicks on Thursday.
Bondi told Fox News that Hicks was removed due to the agency's top lawyer "targeting gun owners."
Hicks, who was deputy chief counsel for the ATF during Trump's first term, later became the agency's chief counsel under the Biden administration.
"Earlier today, I was served official notice from the Attorney General of the United States that I was being removed from my position as the Chief Counsel of ATF and my employment with the Department of Justice terminated," Hicks posted on her LinkedIn page Thursday.
"Serving as ATF Chief Counsel has been the highest honor of my career and working with the people at ATF and throughout the Department has been a pleasure," Hicks continued in her post. "I thank my colleagues for their friendship and partnership over the years."
Former FBI Director Christopher Wray stepped down on January 19, a day before Trump was sworn in as the 47th president, after he suggested that he planned to replace him.
The Senate confirmed Patel in a close vote Thursday, with Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) siding with 47 Democrats in opposing his nomination.
