White House calls Musk 'special government employee': Details
Photo: Elon Musk, billionaire (Getty Images)
Billionaire Elon Musk has been appointed as a special government official under the leadership of US President Donald Trump, CNN reports.
Musk's status means that he is neither a volunteer nor a full-time federal employee. According to the US Department of Justice, a special government official is “anyone who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period.”
According to an unnamed official, Musk does not receive a salary. However, the billionaire has top-secret clearance to access classified information and is subject to the federal conflicts-of-interest statute that prohibits government employees from participating in matters that would affect their financial interests.
On February 3, Trump confirmed that the billionaire has access to the critical payment system of the US Department of the Treasury, which transfers funds on behalf of the entire federal government. Federal unions and other organizations, in turn, on Monday sued the Treasury Department over the access.
Elon Musk
In 2024, Elon Musk, the well-known entrepreneur and founder of Tesla and SpaceX, actively supported Donald Trump's election campaign, investing millions of dollars in it. After the Republican's victory in the presidential election, Musk was appointed head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, aimed at auditing and improving the efficiency of the federal government.
To find out more about the billionaire and his media war, read our article on the topic.
