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.

  • @boaratio@lemmy.world
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    5919 hours ago

    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.

  • Flying Squid
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    2322 hours ago

    Is it unlikely or will he not get it?

    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.

    • @ILikeBoobies@lemmy.ca
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      716 hours ago

      Trump already gave military secrets out on twitter during his last presidency

      It’s not as low of a bar as you think

    • @DreamlandLividity@lemmy.world
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      20 hours ago

      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.

  • @treadful@lemmy.zip
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    571 day ago

    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.

    That escalated quickly.

    • @SarcasticMan@lemmy.world
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      361 day ago

      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.

    • Flying Squid
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      1222 hours ago

      I would bet his ketamine use predated the time he famously smoked weed on Rogan’s show.

      And he does not strike me as a regular consumer of cannabis.

      • @tiptaptoe
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        141 day ago

        That’s correct, been smoking for a few years now and didn’t meed Putin until last month.

    • @Graphy@lemmy.world
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      81 day ago

      I quickly went from thinking “yeah i can’t blame him those sound like the usual reasons why no one wants to work for the feds” to “oh”

  • @tiptaptoe
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    221 day ago

    Interesting that he doesnt have access to his own company’s project

    • Flying Squid
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      1222 hours ago

      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.