Elon Musk’s Federal Security Clearance Under Review Over Pot Use: Report
HIGH AND DRY
Mike Blake/Reuters
The Pentagon is reviewing Elon Musk’s federal security clearance after the Tesla founder smoked marijuana on a podcast in September, according to a U.S. official. Musk has a secret-level clearance because of his role as founder and CEO of Space Exploration Technologies Corp., which is certified to launch military spy satellites. The entrepreneur has refiled a security form which requires federal employees or contractors seeking a clearance to acknowledge any illegal drug use over the previous seven years, according to the official. While the refiling demonstrates the continuing ramifications of Musk’s viral moment, day-to-day operations of SpaceX have not been affected, according to a company official. The company has won contracts for national security space launches since the podcast incident, including a $297 million dollar deal for three launches.