Billionaire and entrepreneur Elon Musk is now working under the direction of U.S. President Donald Trump as a special government employee. This was reported by CNN, citing a White House representative.
This is the first time the White House has commented on the legal basis under which Musk is working in Washington. The status of special government employee means that while Musk is not a full-time federal employee, he is also not serving as a volunteer.
According to the Department of Justice, a special government employee is someone who works for the government or plans to work for it for 130 days or less within a 365-day period. Sources familiar with his employment say that Musk is not paid and has access to highly classified government information. As a special government employee, Musk is subject to federal conflict-of-interest laws, which prohibit government employees from participating in matters that could affect their financial interests. Compliance with this law is overseen by the Department of Justice.
On Monday, Trump confirmed that Musk has access to the U.S. Treasury’s critical payment system, through which all federal government fund transfers are processed. On the same day, several federal unions filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department regarding this access. Trump also stated that Musk will act only in coordination with his administration.
