India, Feb. 3 -- Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) was at loggerheads with senior security staff at the US Agency for International Development (USAID) after the agency refused to allow the DOGE team to access classified systems.

The members of the senior security staff were put on leave, Bloomberg reported, as operations of the relief agency appeared largely paralysed.

The security officials contended that the DOGE staff lacked the clearances required to see the information, making them legally obligated to deny access.

The agency's website was taken offline over the weekend and last week, more than 50 senior officials at USAID's Washington office, the majority of the agency's senior career leadership, were recent...