‘False facts’: LOL, Elon Musk won’t get security clearance from the government after all
Elon Musk will likely not receive top security clearance from the U.S. government, news that no doubt prompting a sigh of relief from intelligence employees everywhere.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Musk is unlikely to receive security clearance from the American government if he applied, and has reportedly been told by his lawyers not to attempt to do so. Musk has worked with the United States government before, and frequently uses government money in order to fund his ventures with rocket company Space X. He currently possesses “top secret” clearance.
According to the report, Musk’s lawyers believe that he will be disqualified from receiving clearance due to his past use of hallucinogenic drugs. Musk has reportedly used ketamine in order to boost creativity, as well as LSD, mushrooms and ecstasy. Musk’s lawyers have contested this, and told the Wall Street Journal that “false facts” have arisen with regard to the veracity of the drug use claims. According to Musk’s lawyers, the Musk has been “regularly and randomly drug tested at SpaceX and has never failed a test.”
Musk was recorded smoking weed on camera while filming a podcast episode with Joe Rogan. While marijuana use is legal in many states, the New York Times reports that it “is illegal at a federal level and prohibited under security clearance rules.” Despite Musk having received security clearance after the episode aired, his lawyers fear that should he attempt to reapply, his current security clearance could be revoked as well.
Musk is reportedly facing scrutiny from employees from his own company. Space X employees have expressed concern over Musk’s social media posting habits, citing that the CEO posts about both video games and diplomatic meetings with the same level of regard. Musk’s social media practices have caused him to get in serious trouble in the past, and his Twitter musings on whether or not to privatize Tesla nearly landed him a conviction for fraud. Space X employees feel that Musk’s mercurial attitude toward social media may cause him to spill sensitive government information. Should Musk be granted the highest level of clearance he would be privy to information surrounding the most highly classified U.S. weapons systems, and could potentially tweet about them.
Musk has also presented an unwillingness to play by the current rules that he is subjected to as a business owner, leading some Space X employees to believe that he will bend security clearance rules in a similar way. Musk has repeatedly disregarded disclosure rules surrounding his company’s financial practices, but was reportedly not confronted by Space X employees who feared that Musk would retaliate by firing them. Musk was recently fined by the SEC for failing to disclose information pertinent to his purchase of Twitter, and may face subsequent investigation if those fined aren’t paid.
While Musk’s actions may result in his disqualification from security clearance requirements, he doesn’t appear to care. At a town hall in Pennsylvania, Musk told a crowd that government information is only labeled top secret because “it’s so boring.” He then added that unless government information poses a “genuine risk to the country” all of it “should be public.” The people at the NSA may disagree.
Have a tip we should know? tips@themarysue.com
