SpaceX CEO Elon Musk may not acquire top security clearances, despite the fact that almost 400 of his rocket company’s employees already have them.
According to the Wall Street Journal, SpaceX lawyers advised executives not to seek higher security clearances for the mercurial CEO because doing so would require him to disclose information about his frequent contacts with foreign nationals, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as his much-rumored drug use.
According to insiders, Musk now has a “top secret” security clearance, which allows him access to “some national security secrets,” but not the complete clearance required of workers working on classified initiatives.
Even after famously consuming pot with Joe Rogan in 2018, it took years for him to gain his current security clearance. SpaceX lawyers are also apparently investigating his ketamine use, a contentious issue in the media.
Worse, Musk’s lawyers are concerned that by obtaining an even higher security clearance, he may risk losing his current “top secret” classification.
However, now that President-elect Donald Trump has appointed him to lead a so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), these worries may become moot. Now that Musk has acquired a key position in the incoming government, the world’s richest man may have considerably easier access to highly confidential information.
Musk is apparently unable to access crucial information on his company’s surveillance satellite program, Starshield, unless he has permissions for “sensitive compartmented information,” which several hundred SpaceX employees do.
According to the WSJ, he is not even permitted to access most facilities where related work is being performed.
Earlier this year, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Musk had a long history of utilizing psychoactive chemicals like as LSD and psychedelic mushrooms. His lawyer later denied the report, claiming that he had “never failed” a drug test at SpaceX.
It is unclear whether Musk will be required to complete a detailed questionnaire and disclose his drug use, as well as his extensive communications with foreign nationals. With the president of the United States’ ear, Musk might soon have unrestricted access to highly classified material without having to go through extra hurdles.
Furthermore, now that they are in control of DOGE, he and pharma executive Vivek Ramaswamy will almost certainly have to look through some highly sensitive material – as they have already committed to cut Pentagon expenditure in the future years.