Rodents became a problem because DOGE employees neglected to clear out any of the food left on the premises after taking over, [USIP security chief Colin O’Brien] explained. USIP had a cafe managed by a contractor, with food being stored onsite, he said. Additionally, O’Brien said, USIP personnel had food in refrigerators throughout the building, along with snack items they didn’t have a chance to remove from desks and cabinets before DOGE summarily booted them from the property.
Roaches were also attracted to the abandoned perishables throughout the space, entering through wastewater and drainage pipes that had dried up from lack of use, O’Brien said.
Beyond the various infestations, O’Brien recalled that, among other things, ceiling tiles were mysteriously missing throughout the building, water damage was rampant, vehicle barriers had become non-operational, and weeds were growing in the cooling tower on the roof – a potential vector for Legionnaires’ disease. Since the location was left without adequate security, graffiti also appeared on an exterior wall.
However, according to O’Brien, the issues “went beyond maintenance.”
“They ripped the main logo off the wall when you come into the lobby, and while we have most of the parts back, would you be surprised that we’re still missing four letters: U, S, I, and P?” O’Brien said. “That’s not coincidental.”
More than a dozen USIP flags were also removed from their flagpoles and remain unaccounted for, which O’Brien believes were taken, along with the USIP logo remnants, as “war trophies.”
He called the situation “uncharted,” and struggles to accurately put into words the mix of emotions he felt upon walking back into the USIP building.
“The closest thing you can compare this to is McCarthyism, and even that pales in comparison to the total destruction that is occurring right now,” O’Brien said.
Lambert here: The pump don’t work….
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