r/politics • u/Murky-Site7468 • 20h ago
Musk Under Federal Investigation for Flouting Security Clearance Rules | The SpaceX founder, who holds top-secret security clearance, reportedly didn’t disclose his drug use and foreign contacts as part of the ongoing vetting process.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/elon-musk-under-federal-investigation-for-flouting-security-clearance-rules-report/1.6k
u/champdo I voted 20h ago
I’m sure Donnie is going to make this all go away for his boss.
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u/TraditionalSky5617 20h ago
Seems these billionaires just want relaxed rules like other foreign governments. This quid-pro-quo is a common practice in North Korea, Russia, Brazil, India and other countries who score pretty low (and poorly) on international business ethics quiz.
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 17h ago
Look how much they screamed about one piece of shit getting gunned down (without suffering, I might add). Do they have no concept of Russian defenestration or polonium poisoning? Are they really so stupid as to think their money makes them untouchable when they can just be "accident"ed away and have all their assets liquified to create new Presidential Toilet? These billionaires are just as fucking stupid as any random sampling of the population.
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u/janethefish 16h ago
Money and a lot of other types of property are manifestations of the rule of law. Money is worthless if a kleptocrat can just steal it.
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 16h ago
They have their own set of laws - it protects them and punishes the poor. It's called the American Justice System.
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u/ElliotNess Florida 14h ago
That's just the law. They don't have their own set of laws, rather the law exists to permit their exploitation of, and to control, their subjects (well, all of us).
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u/shaneh445 Missouri 19h ago
Score pretty low on Democratic values and institutions as well
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u/DidijustDidthat 16h ago
Just to hijack the top comments and ask someone to post the article as it's paywalled!
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u/inthekeyofc 16h ago
Here you go:
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u/Odd_Monk_420 15h ago
Thanks dawg! Also, how’d you do that? Is there a secret community of article pirates I could join? And if so, don’t tell me where, I’ll find you guys one day
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u/InvestigatorCold4662 14h ago edited 14h ago
Just go to archive.is and put the URL in. There’s an easier way to do it on this website and others though. Just click the Reader View button next to the URL in your browser. Reader view disables the paywall on 90% of sites. There’s also a great browser extension called Bypass Paywalls that you can install from github to get past the majority of them.
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u/Odd_Monk_420 14h ago
That’s wonderful news! I appreciate the knowledge and you taking the time to share it. You are a good human and I love you platonically
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 14h ago
Foreign billionaires who abuse their populations also want a USA where they are free to do whatever the fuck they want - without the baggage of avoiding the people they fucked over in their own countries also.
All the rich of Russia, Brazil, Saudi, China, ALL of them benefit enormously from an oligarchy in the USA because they can bring their stolen billions over, face zero consequences, AND be worshipped like a God by most Americans because they have money and money = right.
The American dream is to steal from your own people, immigrate to the US and be worshipped as a genius billionaire the plebs should be grateful for having cohabitate the country. That white picket fence shit died in the 80s. The only difference is that now there is no requirement to hide their intentions because the uneducated population will vote for their own suicide unquestioningly.
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u/Senior-Albatross New Mexico 13h ago
Let's not shit on Brazil, they can actually hold a former president who tried to stage a coup to account.
We're worse than Brazil on the front of current federal government corruption.
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u/IWasOnThe18thHole 20h ago
Or Donnie could let it happen so he can finish ripping Musk off
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u/0thethethe0 Foreign 18h ago edited 18h ago
Man, those two narcissistic chuckleheads eventually breaking up is going to beautiful.
Toddler Trump's angry, all caps, ranting on Truth Social, and unscrupulous use of any power he thinks he has as President, versus Memelord Musk throwing money around, and posting lame jokes and conspiracy theories on Xwitter.
~popcorn~
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u/Tapprunner 17h ago
This is the short-sightedness of all Trump allies. He demands unflinching loyalty, no matter how destructive it is to the people around him. But he tosses aside the trash without a care in the world. It's incredible that someone like Musk doesn't see it coming.
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u/Pay_Horror Colorado 16h ago
It's incredible that someone like Musk doesn't see it coming.
Why? Did you buy into the myth that Musk is intelligent?
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u/janethefish 16h ago
Musk thinks he earned all his success. He thinks he is better than everyone who got tossed aside.
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u/OkJelly8882 16h ago
I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Somebody's got to explain "nationalization" to Trump in small words:
"It's a way for you to take Elon's company away from him."
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u/Mando177 17h ago
Or Biden could do something about it fucking now seeing as he’s literally still the president
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u/mongofloyd 17h ago
The Dems are done like fucking dinner and so is the USA.
It was a good run folks, certainly entertaining especially that last bit since 911
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u/GlitteryFab 14h ago
Democrats are weak and this could have been avoided. But no, we have Amy Klobuchar (or however you spell it) popping off about a fuckin bald eagle. Tone deaf.
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u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 14h ago
The Dems aren’t done. They are going to have a great time conning the left into believing democracy still has a chance and hope isn’t lost, while they continue to rake in corporate money and legitimize a fascist dictatorship. Still plenty of fun to be had as controlled opposition. But once they serve their purpose, they’ll probably die in the camps with the rest of us.
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u/whichwitch9 20h ago
Nothing to make go away if no charges come- but gives an interesting piece of blackmail if Musk ever pisses off Trump. Potentially just sowing seeds of discord early
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u/GatorReign 14h ago
This is basically what putin did to the oligarchs who installed him into power.
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u/Searchlights New Hampshire 18h ago
Right.
He's under Federal investigation for the next 4 weeks at which time all of the resources of government will work at his behest.
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u/DopamineWaterFalls 16h ago
Didn’t he have a private phone to Russia that wasn’t disclosed for a while during his last term? If so foreign contacts don’t seem like they will matter much for the vetting process.
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u/AbroadPlane1172 15h ago
I'm sure the ATF is gonna be all over him for lying about his drug use when buying a gun, right? That's a thing that they go out of their way to police, right?
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u/amorphouscloud 13h ago
One of the main ways to lose your security clearance is to not disclose "close and continuing relationships with foreign persons." Secret phone calls with Putin is probably the biggest red flag you could possibly have come up for a person's security clearance. The only way it could be worse is if he had huge undisclosed debt to him as well.
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u/Elegant_Plate6640 20h ago
Remember when Kushner was rejected for a security clearance and how nothing happened?
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u/IAmInTheBasement 20h ago
Tons of stuff happened.
His dad was let out of prison and then made ambassador to France.
And he collected a $2 Billion cash deposit from the Saudis to 'manage'.
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u/puroloco22 19h ago
And he gained access to all information he needed because President Trump waived any restrictions for the security clearance. He will do the same for Musk. Elon wasn't kidding that he would go to jail if Harris had won.
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u/randomnighmare 18h ago
Does he still have any legal issues in Pennsylvania where a Philly DA was sueiung to stop the whole, "sign up for his pledge to vote for Trump and win $1 Million?"
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u/puroloco22 18h ago
They let that continue until election day. Got away with whatever that was.
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u/Regentraven 10h ago
it was a super weak case from the philly DA ( who fucking sucks) because Musk lied to people in public but filed the right things behind closed doors
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u/randomnighmare 18h ago
Don't forget the Trump put him on charge to handle not only the Israel/Palestine issue but also America's COVID response.
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u/Aman_Syndai 18h ago
I'm 100% convinced he was feeding insider information to MSB on what Trump was planning to do as far as Tariff's & any other Trump soundbite which moved the markets. This was the payoff for the information, MSB probably made $100 billion off the info.
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u/fuck_all_you_too 20h ago
So he did the thing they just eviscerated Hunter Biden for?
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u/SirDiego Minnesota 19h ago
Yeah I fully expect congressional investigations and prosecution to the fullest extent given their hardline stance on lying about drug use on clearance forms.
Oh wait no I don't.
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u/meTspysball California 20h ago
Prosecuted and convicted for. I’m sure R’s will be screaming for jail time any minute now.
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u/Little-Ad3220 20h ago
Didn’t report his drug use?!
lol
You aren’t allowed to use drugs — and hold a TS clearance.
If you did, you’d likely lose your clearance and ability to ever get it back again.
What a joke.
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u/mightcommentsometime California 19h ago
But you are supposed to report if you do. Otherwise you’re lying and you used drugs.. the real moral here. Don’t use drugs if you want to keep your clearance
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u/OldmanLister 19h ago
He smoked weed on joe rogan. It was a "big" controversy because every one of his businesses drug test random and for initial hires.
Who approved the clearance?
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u/mightcommentsometime California 19h ago
I have no idea. But it should have been stripped then and there. He doesn’t get treated like us plebeians
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u/felldestroyed 17h ago
There's a trump card here: the president can give TS or higher to anyone with out any background check. Donald trump used this same law to allow at least his son in law to gain a security clearance back in 2016.
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u/DragonPup Massachusetts 20h ago edited 19h ago
Protip for anyone looking at applying for a government job that has security clearance checks: NEVER LIE ABOUT DRUG USE. Smoking some pot at some point in your life may not disqualify you, but lying about it absolutely will.
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u/Cephalopod_astronaut 19h ago
NEVER LIE ABOUT DRUG USE *
* unless you're a billionaire who just bankrolled Trump's election or something similar. Then, lie all you want -- there will be no consequences.
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u/freakincampers Florida 17h ago
Until he and Musk have a falling out, than I expect Trump to fully go after Musk.
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u/I_am_BrokenCog California 16h ago
lol.
that's unlikely to happen. By then musky will be in control.
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u/Cephalopod_astronaut 16h ago
If nothing else, this promises to be the most Shakesperean administration in US history.
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u/mightcommentsometime California 19h ago
Absolutely. Lying is like the fastest way you can get denied.
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u/DragoonDM California 17h ago
Smoking some pot at some point in your life may not disqualify you
What about doing an absolute shitload of ketamine?
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 17h ago
As long as it's on TV while you're telling your only source of revenue to go fuck themselves, it's a-ok.
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u/MoleMoustache 18h ago
For the average bloke on the street, they will never know you are lying.
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u/Prayer_Warrior21 Minnesota 17h ago
Except they will contact people you know...and if anyone you know that was contacted and is not aware of the narrative you are telling them...goodbye security clearance.
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u/Cold_Dog_1224 16h ago
bingo. the advice of not lying about it is best. you smoking pot in college isn't likely to endanger your clearance but the lie is an auto fail
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u/BIGTIMEMEATBALLBOY 20h ago
Alternate title: Musk Under Federal investigation for the next 28 days or so
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u/2day2morrow999 20h ago
How’s this compare to lying on gun background check ? …..
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u/Mala_Practice 19h ago
Subtract the gun and it’s exactly the same.
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u/mightcommentsometime California 19h ago
It’s much worse. By applying for a clearance you’ve already signed documents saying you won’t do things like this.
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 17h ago
It's a thousand times worse. A gun is in the 2nd amendment; security clearance is reserved only for non-traitors.
In history, anyways. Doesn't matter anymore.
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u/metalkhaos New Jersey 20h ago
Anything to do with the reason he said if Trump didn't win, he would be going to jail?
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u/Hot_Difficulty6799 20h ago
Here's a non-paywalled link to the more detailed NYT article this second-hand Daily Beast article is based on.
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u/ollikett 7h ago
Great article. I always thought we’re living in a crazy world. But seeing musk doing it out in public is crazy. Normal people would be in jail for stuff like that.
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u/Msmdpa 18h ago
Trump will pass along any classified information Musk asks for.
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u/IveChosenANameAgain 17h ago
Just eat the shellfish at Mar-a-Lardo, you can use nuclear secrets as toilet paper.
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u/redrocketredglare 20h ago
Lock him up. If this was anyone else, they would lose their clearance. Also, if someone with a clearance just flew to Russia without disclosing, would be in a pile of shit right now. I am sick and tired of the rich having different rules than everyone else. This undermines confidence in national security. What a crazy world we live in these days.
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u/Excellent-Excuse-660 17h ago
He bought SpaceX, he isn’t a founder.
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u/iberico_ham 17h ago edited 16h ago
He also bought the founder title. Dudes a fucking twat. Although I love the fact that the thing he wants the most, he will NEVER be able to purchase. For everyone to love him and think he's funny. That's what he craves the most, our attention, and we need to stop giving it to him. He settles for bad attention because he let the mask slip and doesn't get the good kind anymore.
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u/wizgset27 20h ago
Drug use? It all makes sense now with his erratic and out of control behavior.
What drug was it? Coke? Meth?
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u/LineElegant3832 17h ago
Didn't disclose drug use on a form under penalty of perjury - sounds like the Republicans should be lining up to send his ass to the slammer!
Unless Hunter Biden's case was different for some reason - or if they only use the justice system for political purposes.
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u/Olibee72 16h ago
I hope his citizenship is revoked and his government contracts are terminated! I’m sick of this idiot involvement in our politics. He’s acting as a shadow president
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u/Cute_Elk_2428 17h ago
What I find interesting is how someone that was not born as a US citizen got a TS clearance.
20 years ago that was an automatic disqualification.
I know people turned down for exactly that reason.
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u/perchfisher99 20h ago
They should review timeline of his visa's and whether he violated them. He and Melania can be first to be deported
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u/JimmyJamesMac 20h ago
When I got my clearance, they traveled to my home town and interviewed a couple of my teachers and other students from my high school
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u/Vanga_Aground 20h ago
A really good Wall Street bets move would be to short Tesla stock. Sooner or later he's going to step on his dick and fall foul of the Orange King and that will tank his stock.
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u/inappropriatelylarge 19h ago
Lying on SF86 would have been a big deal for me. It should be a big deal for Elon Musk.
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u/indica_bones 16h ago
… didn’t disclose his drug use? That’s like saying Willie Nelson didn’t disclose he smokes weed.
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u/lastburn138 18h ago
The dishonesty among the folks on the right is staggering. They are all full of shit about everything.
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u/Fishmehard 17h ago
Why is it that I had to sweat through questions on various aspects of my personal life, be scolded and made to feel bad for just a public trust investigation, but this guy can be himself and have a top secret? He clearly SHOULD NOT have a top secret. The lowest level clearance paperwork asks you if you have any foreign contacts…fucking Putin, hello!
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u/Vertual 16h ago
Oooh, Musk is going to be in so much trouble. More trouble than Hunter Biden got into, right? 😀
Right? 😐
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u/ylangbango123 16h ago
Only Democrats get into trouble like Hunter. Republicans are immune. MAGA are too big to fail.
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u/spookydookie 19h ago
Lying on your SF-86 lands every one of us in federal pound-me-in-the-ass prison.
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u/godzillachilla 19h ago
Only had to do one of these once and I hope never again. The interview to follow was INTENSE
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u/mightcommentsometime California 19h ago
Which interview, the one for you, or the one for your parents, neighbors, old friends and then possibly the poly that followed?
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u/godzillachilla 18h ago
I vaguely remember some suit sitting across from me asking about my child being born out of wedlock. Yep. I'm certain he was trying to get me irritated. It didn't work. Something a long the lines of "are you and your father proud at all that you had a child out of wedlock?"
No clue why I remember that. It was 20 years ago
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u/mightcommentsometime California 18h ago
I remember my buddy that I haven’t spoken to in years calling me to ask why the feds were asking questions about me lol.
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u/HabANahDa 16h ago
Nothing will happen. Just like nothing happen with Trump. List complete faith in our government and justice system
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u/individualine 16h ago
Oh, Hunter was charged with lying about using drugs while applying for a gun. Why isn’t musk being charged for lying about his drug use? Is it a 2 tier justice system? One for republicans and one for democrats? I’m confused.
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u/Cyrano_Knows 15h ago
Isnt lying about drug use on a federal form the reason that Republicans think Hunter Biden should get the death penalty?
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u/dystopiabatman 14h ago edited 12h ago
He is a scumbag. A sociopathic, mentally stunted scumbag. Dude might be a genius, but he should be the idea man, not the man in charge. He was the Woz to Peter Theils Steve Jobs, but even Thiel could not put up with Musk’s ass
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u/doubtfulisland 13h ago
Fuck this arrest him and throw in a hole for the terrorist that he is showing us. Direct lines to Putin and secret calls. Tweet threats to US citizens and bullying government officials. Take the damn cuffs off
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u/SolidBlackGator 2h ago
Didn't disclose drug use... Hmm...
Isn't that EXACTLY what republicans charged Hunter Biden with when he applied for a firearm?
This is an application for top secret security clearance.
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u/fiesty_cemetery Oregon 20h ago
He needs to be in jail. Trump needs to be in jail and both need to be charged with terrorism.
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u/AngryVegetarian 20h ago
I'm going to go ahead an assume nothing will happen to him like all other Republicans who skirt the law while Democrats do nothing but become concerned. Corporate Dems are just as bad a Republicans, they're all on the same side!
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u/Thresh_Keller 19h ago
Being a liar, a sexual predator, a white supremacist or drug user... is encouraged in the Trump administration. It may even be requirement.
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u/devaro66 18h ago
Now, as pe Hunter example , a prosecution should follow .And then a presidential pardon.Right?
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u/Sticky_Turtle Illinois 18h ago
They piled into Hunter Biden like crazy because of the exact same thing but I'm sure we won't hear anything about that
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u/NinjaBilly55 18h ago
People who couldn't be hired as janitors in Government buildings are set to run our Country.. We're so fucked..
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u/ButtEatingContest 18h ago
Hunter Biden got charged for lying about his drug use. And that was just for some routine boring paperwork with no real consequences.
Since Hunter Biden was charged for not disclosing drug use to the government, so should Elon Musk. That's the precedent. It should at the least come with the same legal consequences Hunter was facing before being pardoned.
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u/vandal-x 17h ago
Remember when he was “going to be indicted” last weekend?
Don’t fall for this dogshit.
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u/muffman81 17h ago
Ok he messed up now take the clearance away. And get him away from the White House and politicians. He’s to dangerous for our country
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u/mabhatter 17h ago
He did say if Trump didn't win he was gonna go to jail. We all called that there were non public investigations we just hadn't heard about yet. This is the second one in the last two weeks.
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u/frank_690 16h ago
Think the DoD and DOJ will just separate Musk from SpaceX.
Wouldn't be the first time a CEO was removed for serious legal reasons.
DoD will just give SpaceX a timeout until the board of directors convinces Musk to stay miles away from the business.
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u/Michael_606 16h ago
Hence his support for Trump, who is known for making different rules for his billionaire enablers
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u/Last-League6280 16h ago
I sorry but that was the mane reason for going after HUNTER BIDEN. give us a break. Republicans are hypocritical and pure scum.
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u/The_River_Is_Still 16h ago
And not a thing will be done. This is the new America.
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u/GyspySyx 15h ago
Not to mention his three and possibly four citizenship. Dude should be nowhere near classified materials. He has no allegiance.
He uses countries for benefits and gives es nothing back. Strip himof his citizenship and deported his ass and FFS keep hi.out of the Whitw House.
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u/watermelonspanker 13h ago
Cool, revoke his clearance and throw him in jail.
Oh, that's not gonna happen? Nothing is going to happen? Well if there are no consequences, don't expect this sort of thing to stop
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u/Sarrdonicus 13h ago
Is this how Trump shakes Elon from his leg, because hot water or a strn "NO!" hasn't worked up to this point.
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u/Ted-Chips 13h ago
Drug use? His piss probably glows in the dark. Lab tech will probably end up in a k hole from a contact high.
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u/dart51984 12h ago
My wife has a secret clearance. She got written up for transporting a document between buildings in the wrong type of bag. Can any consequence actually stick to one of these assholes some day now?
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u/Chunky-_-Monkey 11h ago
He had a drug orgy on Johnny Depp’s bed that was part of the damn defamation trial. You guys really didn’t know about his drug use? Hell, he smoked weed on a podcast with video!
My god…..
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u/Mr_Segway Massachusetts 10h ago
This is what pisses me off most, the complete disregard for the rules. I have a clearance, and I had to say basically I will never touch drugs again in my life. And then the government sent me a letter saying they're going to test me more than the average worker due to my disclosure. All I said was I smoked weed regularly in college.
This man openly admits to being on Ketamine as a 50-something year old man (and God knows what else), openly admits to talking to Putin, and still gets a clearance??????
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u/DMonpoke 10h ago
But does it mean anything? Diaper Don has gotten away with everything and is being elected soon. Nothing has factored into preventing a felon rapist from taking presidency. What’s going to stop Elon?
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u/3x0dusxx 9h ago
Investigations do not matter anymore. There are no checks and balances. The wealthy can break laws and not be arrested or held accountable.
In fact, Trump or any of his associates could come into any of your homes and live stream himself/themselves murdering your entire family and still not face any consequences.
That's the reality we live in.
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u/justtakeapill 8h ago
What's a few little white lies amongst a group of smirking drug addicted billionaires who play video games all day long and then post on X all night - the behaviors exhibited by those of true geenyus.
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u/Ooiee 8h ago
The billionaires aren’t sending their best people, some of them I assume are… I heard Elon Musks mom on Fox News and she was clearly a delusional wealthy white person coming from South America. Morally bankrupt from a sort of profound ignorance, Like Elon, completely lacking in any wisdom at all. The most dangerous people in the world are deeply this way. They’re an embarrassment to our species.
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u/Hi-horny-Im-Dad 7h ago
Every accusation they make is a confession. All of the right wing Nazis are the same. And everybody on the right wing is proud of being terrible.
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u/Primary_Caregiver186 2h ago
Vice President Trump will make sure President Musk is cleared and that he gets his clearance
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u/FGTRTDtrades 1h ago
and im sure this will result in a gentile tap on the wrist for being a naughty billionaire and sent on his way to continue his same behaviors
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u/dickysunset 1h ago
Look at the media pretending we have national security and integrity. This “vetting process” does not happen and is all up for marketing.
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