Out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for shutdown sent on behalf of some federal workers without their consent

An American flag and Department of Education flag whip in the wind outside the department's headquarters in Washington, DC, on on March 6. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Multiple furloughed workers from the Department of Education had out-of-office messages blaming Democrats for the government shutdown automatically sent from their email accounts without their consent or knowledge, according to four sources familiar with the situation.

The sources, who currently work at the department and spoke with CNN anonymously out of fear of retribution, characterized the move as disturbing and violating as well as one that could potentially impact their professional reputations.

“It is compelled speech and feels like a setup,” one Department of Education employee told CNN, with another worker s