U.S. intelligence agencies have recently detected a sharp uptick in attempts by Russia and China to recruit federal employees who either have been fired or are facing layoffs under the Trump administration's cost-cutting measures, according to four sources with direct knowledge of the intelligence.
These sources told CNN that foreign adversaries, including Russia and China, view recently dismissed U.S. personnel-especially those with security clearances-as prime targets due to their potential access to classified data on infrastructure, government processes, and national security programs.
The intelligence finds that at least two countries have established recruitment websites and intensified efforts on LinkedIn to lure federal workers caught in the wave of mass layoffs, triggered in part by directives from the Office of Personnel Management. "It doesn't take a lot of imagination to see that these cast aside federal workers with a wealth of institutional knowledge represent staggeringly attractive targets to the intelligence services of our competitors and adversaries," one source familiar with the assessments told CNN.
Officials are concerned that employees who feel mistreated or resentful over the sudden job losses may be especially vulnerable to exploitation. Another individual briefed on the matter stated, "The adversaries think the employees 'are at their most vulnerable right now,' out of a job, bitter about being fired, etc." Former National Security Council counterintelligence director Holden Triplett warned, "We may be creating, albeit somewhat unintentionally, the perfect recruitment environment."
According to multiple sources, foreign entities are specifically focusing on those with national security backgrounds, including probationary employees who could be cut from agencies like the CIA and the Department of Defense (DoD). Amid these concerns, one official told CNN that "career officials at the CIA have been quietly discussing that risk and how to mitigate it."
Tensions escalated earlier this week when Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard criticized the intelligence community, suggesting on Fox News that warnings of infiltration amounted to "an indirect threat" from disloyal government employees. Gabbard said, "They're exposing themselves essentially by making this indirect threat using their propaganda arm through CNN," and argued that "these are exactly the kind of people that we need to root out." Multiple national security officials who spoke on condition of anonymity, however, insist the warnings are legitimate attempts to protect U.S. secrets.
At the same time, the CIA and DoD are each grappling with staff reductions. The Pentagon has stated that up to 5,000 probationary employees could lose their jobs in the near term, while the CIA has reportedly dismissed over 20 officers who had been working on diversity initiatives. Some of these individuals are appealing their firings in court. Another former intelligence official observed that the CIA itself often aggressively recruits disgruntled officers in adversarial nations, hinting that U.S. rivals are now applying similar tactics.
Compounding the risks, the CIA reportedly shared a list of employees with less than two years on the job-a list including personnel operating or preparing to operate under cover-with the White House via an unclassified email server. Critics argue this move could open the door for hostile intelligence agencies to identify and approach these soon-to-be-terminated officials.
