‘Lives Are in Danger’ After a Trump Admin Spreadsheet Leak, Sources Say

The leak, which sent a variety of international groups and nonprofits scrambling to assess the damage and protect workers operating under repressive regimes, came after the organizations had pressed the Trump administration to keep the sensitive information private and received some assurances it would remain secret.

Reached for comment, White House Deputy Press Secretary Anna Kelly says: “These documents were transmitted to Congress and not publicly released by the State Department.” She urged Rolling Stone to contact “whoever leaked it and in turn, made it public.”

The State Department, led by Marco Rubio, informed a variety of international nonprofits and longtime implementing partner organizations last week that upcoming payments of their congressionally approved grant funds came with some conditions that the Trump administration wanted to clarify.

As part of their campaign to eliminate what they’re calling “waste, fraud, and abuse,” Team Trump and DOGE had demanded comprehensive grant recipient information — and State Department officials let the organizations know that Musk’s lieutenants were likely planning on turning this information into a public spreadsheet or database.

The message — according to three sources familiar with the matter, as well as written communications reviewed by Rolling Stone — was abundantly clear: If you’re not OK with providing all this information or with having it all posted online, let us know; however, that decision could, or will, lead to your expected funding being halted.

The pushback was swift from a number of international groups that have spent years, if not decades, working with the State Department, USAID, and the U.S. government. (Rolling Stone has agreed not to name these groups, given their leaders and staff justifiably fear retribution from Trump and his senior officials.)

The nonprofit leaders and others reminded State Department personnel — some of whom are career officials aghast at what Team Trump and Musk are doing, and wished to contain unnecessary damage — that various programs that the department had on file had long been marked “sensitive,” and that their information was not meant for public consumption.

After a flurry of phone calls and messages, State Department officials reported back to their partners with a note of reassurance: Though other information would likely be posted online in the near future, the closely held, highly “sensitive” information on certain grants and nonprofit organizations would be left off the table. The officials promised these groups that that information would stay under lock and key, and the grant recipients would still get their money.