You can try to do the following things and see if your situation gets better:
1. Remove those devices from your resume if your previous company does not want to make those public. It is an ethical issue. If you violated the company's code of conduct by disclose unpublished information, the new employer will not likely to hire you because they will fear that you'll do the same to them. You can mention that you are involved in making innovative devices, but do not disclose any name or nature of the device.
2. Talk to your references and ask them what kind of information they have been asked to provide. You don't need to know how they answer it. You may offend your references if you ask them that. Just ask what questions they have been asked. You should get some sense what could go wrong based on the information the recruiter is interested to know.
3. Email the recruiter directly. They may or may not answer you, but it is worth of trying. Just ask them if they can share the reasons behind their decision. Tell them it'll help you understand their decision as well as help you to know what you need to improve for your future job search.
4. Don't dwell on the office political issues. Nothing to understand there. It is normal people are let go because of the management change. Being laid off is not a negative impact. It happens all the time. Don't over think about this and overlook other real issues.
