When then President-elect Trump mentioned Tesla CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy's suggestion to significantly cut federal government spending, many public officials knew their jobs might be in jeopardy.

They have new concerns: the personal targets of the world's richest man and his fans.

Last week, in a routine series of posts, Musk retweeted two posts on the social platform X, disclosing the names and titles of four previously obscure climate-related government officials. Each post reached tens of millions of views, and the individuals named received a barrage of negative attention. At least one of the four women named has already deactivated her social media account.

Although the information he posted about these government positions is available through public online databases, these posts targeted those less-known government employees who do not directly interact with the public.

Several current federal employees told CNN they fear their lives will be forever changed—including personal threats—because Musk has turned behind-the-scenes bureaucrats into personal targets. Others told CNN that the threat of being targeted by Musk could even drive them to leave their jobs entirely, allowing Musk to achieve his layoff goals without proper scrutiny.

Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said, 'The goal of these tactics is to plant seeds of fear among federal government employees.' The American Federation of Government Employees represents over 800,000 of the 2.3 million federal civilian employees. 'This is to make them feel afraid, afraid to speak out.'

This is not new for Musk; he often names those he claims have made mistakes or obstructed him. A former federal employee targeted by Musk said she experienced very similar things.

Mary 'Missy' Cummings, a professor of engineering and computer science at George Mason University, said, 'This is his way of intimidating people; he is sending a signal to all government employees: either step back, or the next (to be exposed) is you.' Cummings angered Musk during her tenure at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration by criticizing Tesla.

Four 'victims'

Last week, Musk retweeted a post from the account '@Datahazard,' which describes itself as 'an illegal think tank~~ Focus: government efficiency, civil rights, victim advocacy.'

The tweet stated: I don’t think the taxes paid by Americans should be used to hire this 'climate diversity director' at the US International Development Finance Corporation, and included a screenshot of a webpage containing this 'climate diversity director's' name, address, and other personal information.

Musk previously referred to himself as a 'super climate supporter' last year, but believed there were many useless jobs in the climate governance space. That post triggered over 30 million comments from netizens expressing negative remarks.

Currently, the X account corresponding to the 'climate diversity director' targeted by Musk shows it has been deactivated.

The United States International Development Finance Corporation, mentioned in the tweet, claims to primarily engage in philanthropic investment work for low-income countries affected by climate disasters. An official from the agency stated that they do not comment on individual staff or matters.

Musk also named the chief climate officer of the Department of Energy's Loan Programs Office. This office provides funding for emerging energy technologies in need of early investment and provided $465 million to Tesla Motors in 2010, helping Musk's electric vehicle company become a leader in the electric vehicle industry. According to her online resume, this chief climate officer collaborates with various agencies 'to reduce barriers to clean energy deployment.'

Another woman, serving as a senior advisor on environmental justice and climate change at the Department of Health and Human Services, also became a target of Musk. Her focus is on protecting public health from pollution and other environmental hazards, particularly in low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately affected by pollution and impacts. The office was established in 2022 during the Biden administration.

A senior climate advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development was also named. The initial X post stated that this woman 'should not be receiving $181,648 from American taxpayers to be a 'climate advisor' at the department.' Musk retweeted and commented, 'But maybe her advice is great.' Followed by two laughing emojis.

Everyone is on edge

This posed real danger for those named, something Musk has done before.

Missy Cummings angered Musk when she was appointed as a senior advisor at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) because her research and public comments were critical of Tesla's driver assistance programs and called for regulation of those programs.

Musk targeted Cummings on the platform then known as Twitter, and his large following also followed suit.

Cummings said in an interview that she received a series of attacks, including death threats, and had to temporarily relocate before finally moving.

Cummings said she is aware that some 'federal employees who have dedicated their lives to public service' have resigned because they fear what is to come. 'He (Musk) intends to scare them into voluntarily leaving so he doesn’t have to fire them. So his plan is somewhat effective,' she said.

CNN reached out to several experts and scholars who specialize in online harassment, doxxing, and cyberbullying. However, some declined to comment on the matter for fear of becoming a target of Musk.

'What happened created an incredible and terrifying chilling effect,' one person said.

Another user stated they were 'not surprised' by Musk's retweet, adding that it was an example of the 'classic pattern' of online harassment.

Ramaswamy did not directly respond to questions about individual federal employees, but he told CNN, 'Most employees, like most people, are essentially good people and deserve respect, but the real issue is bureaucracy.'

'Our opponents are not any specific individuals. Our opponents are bureaucracy,' he added.

In a subsequent post, the account '@Datahazard' wrote: 'You should not harass someone just because they hold a government senior position that might not should exist, but senior government officials are not just ordinary employees. We have a right to know who is managing our government and what they are doing.'

Cummings, one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, said she feels obligated to speak out.

'Someone has to speak up,' she said. 'I won’t let him (Musk) win on this.'

Article reposted from: Jinshi Data