Executives working for Elon Musk have been advised not to seek a higher security clearance for him due to concerns about his drug use and contact with foreign nationals, according to reports.
Lawyers at Musk’s rocket launch company SpaceX had warned senior executives that applying to upgrade his access would force him to answer awkward questions and even put his existing clearance at risk, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Yet Musk will soon hold a powerful position as a top aide to President-elect Donald Trump with access to an extraordinary trove of federal information.
The revelation follows a bombshell report by the Journal in October alleging that Musk has been in regular contact with Vladimir Putin since late 2022, on top of previous reports claiming that he had used ketamine multiple times.
The Independent has contacted SpaceX for comment. The company previously said that the claims about Putin were “misleading” and “unsubstantiated.”
Since 2022 Musk has enjoyed a “top secret” security clearance, which is the highest general-purpose permission bestowed by the US Department of Defense. But it does not include special “need to know” clearances for specific projects (known as “sensitive compartmented information”).
The decision reportedly means that Musk must be kept in the dark about some of the payloads that SpaceX puts in orbit, which are said to include US military and intelligence agency satellites.
Security clearances are sometimes granted to people who have previously used drugs illegally, but those with clearances are generally required to stay drug-free after receiving them.
Nasa administrator Bill Nelson has said that the reports of Musk being in contact with Putin are “concerning” if they are proven, and should be investigated by the government.
According to the Journal, SpaceX’s lawyers told executives that applying for a higher clearance would force Musk to answer questions about his contact with foreign nationals and his drug use, since US officials would be worried he might inadvertently disclose secrets during such conversations.
Applying for heightened security regardless of the warnings could lead to Musk being turned down, or losing the clearance already granted to him, the Journal reported.
Musk’s current clearance reportedly prevents him from being informed about SpaceX’s Starshield spy satellite program, which grew out of its Starlink satellite communications network and is available only to national security agencies.
Sources also told the Journal that Musk’s current clearance took years to obtain due to government concern over Musk’s 2018 interview with right-wing podcaster Joe Rogan, in which he accepted and smoked a cannabis cigar offered by his host.
