When President-elect Trump mentioned $Tesla (TSLA.US)$When CEO Elon Musk and former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy suggest significant cuts to federal government spending, many public officials are aware that their jobs may be in jeopardy.

There is a new concern for them: becoming the world's richest and the personal targets of his fans.

Last week, in a daily series of posts, Musk reposted two posts on social media platform X, revealing the names and titles of four previously unknown climate-related government officials. Each post garnered views in the tens of millions, and the individuals named faced a cascade of negative attention. At least one of the named four women has deactivated her social media account.

Although the information about these government positions that he posted can be obtained from public online databases, the posts targeted government employees who are unknown and do not directly interact with the public.

Several current federal employees told CNN that they fear their lives will be permanently altered—including physical threats—because Musk has turned backstage bureaucrats into personal targets. Others told CNN that Musk's threats against the targets may even force them to leave their jobs altogether, allowing Musk to achieve his layoffs goal without proper scrutiny.

Everett Kelley, President of the American Federation of Government Employees, said, "The purpose of these strategies is to sow 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 frightened, afraid to speak up."

This is nothing new for Musk, as he often targets those he claims have made mistakes or hindered him. A former federal government employee who was once singled out by Musk stated that she went through a very similar situation.

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 message to all government employees: either leave, or you'll be next (exposed). Cummings had criticized Tesla during her tenure at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which angered Musk.

Four 'victims'

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

The tweet stated: 'I don't think American taxpayers' money should go to hiring this 'climate diversity director' of the US International Development Finance Corporation', and the tweet included a webpage screenshot containing personal information such as the name and address of this 'climate diversity director.'

Last year, Musk had also posted that he is a 'HUGE climate supporter,' but he believes there is a lot of useless work in climate governance. The post led to over 30 million internet users visiting the comment section and making negative comments.

Currently, the X account corresponding to the 'climate diversity director' targeted by Musk is shown as deactivated.

The U.S. International Development Finance Corporation mentioned in the tweet claims to mainly engage in philanthropic investments in low-income countries heavily affected by climate disasters. An official from the institution stated that no comments would be made on individual staff or matters.

Musk also mentioned the Chief Climate Officer of the Department of Energy loan project office. The office provides funding for emerging energy technologies in need of early investment and provided $0.465 billion 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 institutions to 'remove obstacles to clean energy deployment.'

Another woman serving as a Senior Advisor for Environmental Justice and Climate Change at the Department of Health and Human Services has also been targeted by Musk. Her focus is on protecting public health from pollution and other environmental hazards, especially in low-income and minority communities who face greater pollution and impacts. The office was established by the Department of Health and Human Services during the Biden administration in 2022.

A senior climate advisor at the Department of Housing and Urban Development was also singled out. The initial X post stated that this woman 'shouldn't receive 1816.48 million U.S. dollars from American taxpayers to become the department's 'climate advisor'.' Musk retweeted and commented, 'But maybe her advice is great.' followed by two laughing emojis.

Everyone is in danger.

Being named brings real danger to those mentioned, and Musk has done this before.

Elon Musk was furious when Missy Cummings was appointed as a senior advisor to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in the USA, due to her critical stance towards Tesla's driving assistance projects in her research and public comments, calling for regulation of these projects.

Musk targeted Cummings on what was then called the X platform on Twitter, and his large number of followers also followed suit.

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

Kaminski said that she knew some federal government employees who had "dedicated their lives to public service" had already resigned from their jobs because they were worried about the upcoming events. "He (Musk) intends to intimidate them and then make them voluntary resign, so he doesn't have to fire them. So, his plan is somewhat effective," she said.

CNN contacted several experts and scholars specializing in studying online harassment, doxxing, and cyberbullying. But some people refused to comment on the matter due to concerns about becoming Musk's targets.

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

Another user stated that they were "not surprised" by Musk's retweets, adding that they were an example of a classic pattern of online harassment.

Ramaswamy did not directly respond to questions about specific federal government employees, but he told CNN, "Most employees, like most people, are fundamentally good and should be respected, but the real problem is bureaucracy."

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

In subsequent posts, the account "@Datahazard" wrote, "You should not harass someone just because they hold a possibly unnecessary senior position in the government, but high government officials are not just ordinary employees. We have the right to know who is managing our government and what they are doing."

Kamins is one of the first female fighter jet pilots in the US Navy, she said she feels obligated to speak up.

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

Editor/Rocky