CNN
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When President-elect Donald Trump said Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy would recommend major cuts to the federal government in his administration, many officials knew their jobs could be on the line.

Now they have a new fear: becoming the personal target of the richest man in the world – and his legions of followers.

Last week, in the midst of the flurry of his daily posts, Musk reposted two X-posts revealing the names and titles of people who held four relatively obscure climate-related government positions. Each post has been viewed tens of millions of times and the individuals mentioned have been subjected to a barrage of negative attention. At least one of the four women mentioned has deleted her social media accounts.

Although the information he posted about those government positions is available through public online databases, these posts target otherwise unknown government officials in positions that do not directly deal with the public.

Several current federal employees told CNN they fear their lives will be changed forever — including physical threats — if Musk makes bureaucrats personal targets behind the scenes. Others told CNN that the threat of being in Musk’s crosshairs could even push them out of their jobs entirely — achieving Musk’s smaller government goals without even a proper review.

“These tactics are aimed at instilling terror and fear among federal employees,” said Everett Kelley, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, which represents more than 800,000 of the 2.3 million civilian federal employees. “It’s meant to scare them into being afraid to say anything.”

This is not new behavior for Musk, who has often singled out individuals he claims have made mistakes or gotten in his way. A former federal employee previously targeted by Musk said she experienced something similar.

“It’s his way of intimidating people into either quitting or sending a signal to everyone else that ‘you’re next,’” says Mary “Missy” Cummings, a professor of engineering and computer science at George Mason University, who signed Musk’s plans. anger over her criticism of Tesla while working at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Last week, Musk reposted an account with the handle Fentasyl and the name “Datahazard,” which describes itself as “Unincorporated Think Tank ~~ Focus: Govt Efficiency, Civil Rights, Victim Advocacy.”

One of the messages reads: “I don’t think US taxpayers should pay for the appointment of a ‘Director of Climate Diversification (she/her)’ at the US International Development Finance Corporation,” with a partial screenshot of an employee and her location.

Musk, who called himself “super pro climate” in an X post last year, reposted the post and commented: “So many fake jobs.” The post has been viewed more than 33 million times and has generated a storm of negative comments. Some called the role a “fraud job” and others demanded that Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency eliminate similar jobs. One user commented: “The gravy train is over.”

It appears the woman Musk targeted has since disappeared from social media and closed her accounts. The agency, the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, says it supports investments in climate mitigation, resilience and adaptation in low-income countries experiencing the most devastating impacts of climate change. A DFC official said the agency does not comment on individual staff positions or cases.

Musk also called on the chief climate officer of the Ministry of Energy in his speech loat program office. The agency funds young energy technologies that require early investment and awarded $465 million to Tesla Motors in 2010, positioning Musk’s electric vehicle company as a leader in the EV industry. The Chief Climate Officer works across multiple agencies to “reduce barriers and enable the deployment of clean energy,” according to her online biography.

Another woman, who is a senior adviser on environmental justice and climate change at the Department of Health and Human Services, was another target of Musk. HHS focuses on protecting public health from pollution and other environmental hazards, especially in low-income communities and communities of color that experience a greater share of exposure and impact. The office first launched at Health and Human Services under the Biden administration in 2022.

A senior climate advisor at the Ministry of Housing and Urban Development was also mentioned. The original Musk responded again, saying, “But maybe her advice is great.” Followed by two laughing emojis.

CNN has contacted all four federal employees who declined comment or could not be reached. CNN also contacted HHS, DOE and HUD for comment.

X did not respond to an email requesting comment.

The public labor union AFGE pointed out that Musk himself has benefited from government programs as a federal contractor, spending $750 billion a year on federal contractors, compared to about $200 billion for the civilian federal workforce. “We are a relative sample, and we also want to help clean it up,” Kelley said.

Musk has done this kind of thing before – and it has led to real danger for the people mentioned.

Missy Cummings angered Musk when she was appointed as a senior adviser at the NHTSA because her research and public comments were critical of Tesla’s driver assistance programs and she had called for the systems to be regulated.

Musk targeted Cummings on what was then called Twitter, and his legions of fans followed.

In an interview, Cummings said she received a barrage of attacks, including death threats, and had to move temporarily before finally moving.

Cummings said she already knows of federal employees who have “dedicated their lives to the civil service” and who have already quit their jobs in anticipation of what’s to come.

“His intention was for them, these types of people, to be intimidated and for them to just quit so he wouldn’t have to fire them. So his plan works to some extent,” she said.

CNN contacted several experts and academics who specialize in cyber harassment, doxing and online abuse. But several declined to comment on the facts, fearing they would become Musk’s target.

“What happened has an incredible and horrifying chilling effect,” one said.

Another said they are “not surprised” by Musk’s reposts, adding that they are an example of a “classic pattern” of cyber harassment.

Ramaswamy did not respond directly to questions about singling out individual federal employees, but told CNN: “Most federal employees, like most people, are fundamentally good people and deserve to be treated with respect, but the real problem is the bureaucracy.”

“Our opponent is not a specific individual. Our opponent is the bureaucracy,” he added.

In a follow-up post, the Fentasyl account, which is itself anonymous, wrote: “It goes without saying that you shouldn’t harass someone just because he or she is in a high-ranking government job that probably shouldn’t exist,” the account said. “But senior government officials are not just ordinary employees. We deserve to know who runs our government and what they do.”

Cummings, who was also one of the first female fighter pilots in the U.S. Navy, said she felt compelled to speak out.

“Someone has to speak out,” she said. “I’m just not going to let him win at this point.”