I am confused about the role of Mr. Musk at SpaceX.
The news is reporting that Mr. Musk may have trouble accessing some of the SpaceX facilities because he lacks a security clearance due to his questionable behavior with drugs and foreign officials. And yet the same reports note that his upcoming job with the Trump administration’s new Department of Government Efficiency may provide him with those security clearances anyway.
So we are to believe that Mr. Musk is a security risk in the private sector, but his quasi-governmental role will make all of those concerns moot? It sounds like you can buy yourself a security clearance in this country at the right price (in this case, by financing a presidential campaign), national security be damned.
And now we hear that he has been sending tweets supporting Nazi-adjacent parties in Germany. I don’t think this is the best way to gain or maintain a high level security clearance in any democratic nation.
I am hoping someone inside government follows up on these issues. The companies under his control remain deeply embedding in the U.S. Government in highly critical areas.
It does appear the various military branches have concerns about his behavior and have initiated investigations. However, none of this appears to be slowing down his movement into a government position. For all we know, while these reviews are underway Mr. Musk will be given access to even more secrets, including highly-classified military secrets, as part of his role to reduce the size of the government.
And if that is the case, who in the various government agencies will question him when he can recommend the elimination of the party making the complaint? As they say, the caller is in the house.
None of this sounds very good for the space industry or the Nation as a whole.
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