DOJ Tells Employees Not to Respond to Musk Job Details Email (1)

The Justice Department’s top administrative official has instructed all employees that they don’t need to respond to the Elon Musk-directed email demanding they describe their job accomplishments, reversing prior guidance.

“Due to the confidential and sensitive nature of the Department’s work, DOJ employees do not need to respond to the email from OPM,” Jolene Ann Lauria wrote to all department leaders Monday in a message reviewed by Bloomberg Law.

The Office of Personnel Management created confusion across the federal government on Feb. 24 after emailing all employees demanding workers send in details of their job tasks by Monday night.

The new directive is a reversal from Feb. 24 guidance from Lauria which said they “should be prepared to follow the instructions on Monday as requested but be advised that you should not respond with sensitive, confidential, or classified information,” according to an email seen by Bloomberg News.

At least five DOJ office leaders quickly responded to the mandate from Musk’s government efficiency team by telling their staff not to detail their work until they receive further clarity, said five people familiar with the situation.

DOJ lawyers said they were concerned that disclosing nonpublic investigation details, including evidence before a grand jury, would amount to attorney misconduct, the sources said.

FBI Director Kash Patel was one of several Trump appointees who directed their staff to “pause” any responses. Federal employees filed suit, saying there’s no rules or programs requiring them to provide such a report.

Musk defended the move in a post on X Monday. He called it a “check to see if the employee had a pulse and was capable of replying to an email.”