Elon Musk – he’s just like us! (Said no one, ever). In addition to being a businessman and investor, Musk’s companies support the government and have government contracts. For those reasons, Musk himself is purported to hold a security clearance. That clearance – and previous statements and videos involving drugs – have gotten Musk into a bit of hot water. So – Elon Musk’s clearance – and yours – are they the same?
Security clearances are granted based on the same adjudicative guidelines, regardless of who you are. But because of a unique concept called the ‘whole person’ concept, it’s impossible to make an apples to apples comparison of anyone’s security clearance determination and eligibility. When the government grants eligibility to access classified information, they are granting it to you, specifically. The adjudicative guidelines and standards are applied, but they’re applied to each individual, not an archetype.
Conditional Clearances
Current speculation aside, there are good reasons why Musk could maintain eligibility today even if every accusation made against him were true. And that’s because the government has determined his value to national security is greater than the risk. Conditional security clearances exist to ensure the Super Secret Squirrels who have incredibly valuable knowledge and usefulness to the government can continue to be useful, despite flaws. Drug and alcohol cases are actually one of the most obvious examples of how conditional clearances can be applied. If you’ve had a drug or alcohol issue, but agree to random drug or alcohol testing, that could cause the government to say the advantages of keeping you employed outweigh the risks.
Beyond a security clearance itself, there are ways ‘unconventional’ individuals could be read in or obtain access to classified information through Limited Access Authorizations. Those cases are rare, but do exist.
Elon Musk. He’s not just like you. And neither is his clearance eligibility.
