The SpaceX head has been advised to not seek the same over his drug use and contacts with foreign nationals
Summary
Elon Musk is unlikely to receive the highest-level government security clearance due to concerns over drug use, foreign contacts, and potential risks of disclosing classified information, according to Wall Street Journal reports.
Musk, who holds “top-secret” clearance, has faced scrutiny for past drug use, including marijuana and alleged ketamine use, and reported contacts with Vladimir Putin since 2022.
SpaceX lawyers advised against seeking higher clearance, fearing denial and revocation of existing clearances.
While Musk may bypass traditional clearance under Trump’s incoming administration, he currently lacks access to SpaceX's most classified projects.
I had a friend, at my first job out of college, have his "sensitive" security clearance denied after a full year of background checks because during his polygraph he admitted to trying cocaine when he was in college. That's the lowest level of security clearance, and yet musk somehow has a clearance near the top.
How long ago was it? When I did mine, there was an established secondary process if you answered about drugs to explain the circumstances around your usage.
It's inevitable.
They're both extreme narcissists and only Trump has any legitimate power out of the two. Eventually musk will try too hard to control him and Trump will use everything in his power to destroy him which, thanks to the Supreme Court, is now unlimited.
So I'd expect to see the IRS weaponized against Musk sometime in the next 12 months at the absolute latest.
Musk, who holds “top-secret” clearance, has faced scrutiny for past drug use, including marijuana and alleged ketamine use, and reported contacts with Vladimir Putin since 2022.
Marijuanas is a gateway drug. I smoked 3 marijuanas and 5 weeks later came out of my k hole and I was in the middle of multi-billion dollar business deal with Kim Jong Un. Never smoking marijuanas again.
Anyway, whatever level of security clearance he gets, he'll invariably blab out some secret on Twitter while making one of his "hilarious" jokes during a ketamine binge.
If I am not mistaken, the President has a lot of authority over security clearances. So for the next 4 years, just like with many other things, it will depend on how a certain Orange feels that day.
Not that he should, but I would bet that's less unusual than you would think. I imagine a lot of defence contractor CEOs are not given the clearance to access certain pieces of information that those working on the project have because some things need to be kept need-to-know.