Trump administration proposes NDAs for federal workers to crack down on leaks to journalists
By Courtney Rozen
WASHINGTON, May 26 (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration proposed on Tuesday requiring federal employees to sign confidentiality agreements “to prevent them from sharing classified information with journalists.”
The Office of Personnel Management, the U.S. government’s human resources office, has released a draft confidentiality agreement designed for federal agencies to use with new and existing employees. According to the draft agreement, the administration will be able to impose legal and criminal sanctions against employees who violate the agreement. According to the bill, the US government will be entitled to receive any “royalties” that employees may obtain from disclosure of information that violates the agreement. OPM did not immediately provide further comment.
The draft form is the latest step in the president’s efforts to exert greater control over the flow of information to U.S. government employees and the public.
“This move stems from concerns that unauthorized disclosure of sensitive government information disrupts agency operations and erodes trust across government,” OPM spokeswoman McLaurine Pinover said in an email to Reuters.
Under the bill, former government employees would be required to “obtain written permission from an authorized agency official” to talk to reporters about information the Trump administration deems “confidential” after leaving their jobs. According to the draft, former employees who violate this rule may be subject to civil and criminal sanctions.
Federal law prohibits government retaliation against federal employees who disclose workplace fraud, abuse, and abuse to domestic government watchdogs and Congress. According to the draft agreement, the NDA will not apply to these disclosures.
Since his second term in office, Trump has waged an aggressive campaign against news outlets and media figures who have been highly critical of him. He has filed lawsuits against news organizations, dismissed reports as “fake news” and personally attacked journalists. His administration banned the Associated Press from the White House press pool and restricted reporters’ access to the Pentagon, headquarters of the U.S. military, among other moves.
(Reporting by Courtney Rozen; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel)
