--- title: "Elon Musk Being Investigated for Violating Terms of “Top Secret” Clearance" description: "According to the New York Times, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is being investigated for flouting his \"top secret\" security clearance rules." date: "2024-12-18" modified: "2024-12-18" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/elon-musk-investigated-violating-terms-top-secret-clearance" categories: - "Elon Musk" - "Future Society" - "The Industrialists" tags: - "air force" - "donald trump" - "elon musk" - "SpaceX" --- # Elon Musk Being Investigated for Violating Terms of “Top Secret” Clearance ![According to the New York Times, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is being investigated for flouting his "top secret" security clearance rules.]() *\Image: Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images\* SpaceX CEO Elon Musk is turning out to be a massive security liability for the US military. According to a shocking [report by the *New York Times*](), the mercurial entrepreneur is being investigated by the Defense Department’s Office of Inspector General, the Air Force, and the Pentagon's Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security. That's because his space company has reportedly "repeatedly failed to comply with federal reporting protocols aimed at protecting state secrets" since at least 2021, which includes not disclosing Musk's frequent meetings with foreign leaders, most notably [Russian president Vladimir Putin](). According to the report, Musk has been violating the rules set out by his "top secret" security clearance for years. Musk was even denied high-level security access by the Air Force, according to the *NYT*'s sources, and the Middle Eastern nation of Israel has expressed concerns that he could leak sensitive state secrets. It's an extremely pertinent topic now that the richest man in the world has been put in charge of [cutting the federal budget]() as part of the so-called "Department of Government Efficiency." Given his [close relationship with president-elect Donald Trump](), his penchant for breaking norms and conventions, and periodic hobnobbing with leaders of US adversaries, Musk is quickly turning into a headache for US officials. Meanwhile, Musk has shot back at the reporting. "Deep state traitors are coming after me, using their paid shills in legacy media," he [wrote](). "I prefer not to start fights, but I do end them..." SpaceX employees who spoke with the *NYT* have equally become concerned over Musk's ability to keep sensitive information to himself. Since at least 2021, Musk and his space company have flouted reporting requirements, including disclosing information about his visits with foreign leaders. He has also reportedly failed to relay information about his drug prescriptions and drug use, a topic that has [been under heavy scrutiny]() for a while now. "To have someone who has major contracts with the government who would be in a position to pass along — whether deliberately or inadvertently — secrets is concerning," Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) told the *NYT*. The *NYT's* reporting also corroborates that of the *Wall Street Journal*, which [reported earlier this week]() that Musk struggled to get approval for "top secret" security clearance after smoking marijuana on Joe Rogan's podcast in 2018. While that's technically the highest level of Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency clearance, it [doesn't grant access]() to high level government affairs, such as SpaceX's Starshield spy satellite program. "If you don’t self-report, the question becomes: ‘Why didn’t you? And what are you trying to hide?’" former Central Intelligence Agency official Andrew Bakaj told the *NYT*. Lawmakers are also growing concerned over Musk's ability to keep state secrets to himself. "He is creating a very threatening environment for government institutions that we rely on to reveal wrongdoing when it happens," Project on Government Oversight executive director Danielle Brian told the *NYT*. "It is going to break our system of accountability and checks and balances." **More on security clearances:** *[Elon Musk's Drug Use Means He Isn't Allowed to Enter SpaceX Buildings Where Classified Work Is Conducted]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()