Government Officials Put on Leave After Allegedly Trying to Circumvent Trump’s Orders

‘We have placed a number of USAID employees on administrative leave with full pay and benefits until further notice,’ USAID’s acting administrator said.

A USAID worker watches as relief supplies are unloaded at Manila's international airport on Oct. 13, 2009. Jay Directo/AFP via Getty Images

Officials who work at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) have been placed on leave because they allegedly tried to find a way around executive orders from President Donald Trump, according to a memorandum sent to agency staffers on Jan. 27.

New leadership at USAID identified several actions in the agency that “appeared to be designed to circumvent the President’s Executive Orders and the mandate from the American people,” USAID’s acting administrator, Jason Gray, said in the memo.