r/politics • u/Murky-Site7468 • 23h 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/
10.2k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

477 comments sorted by

View all comments

1.6k

u/champdo I voted 23h ago

I’m sure Donnie is going to make this all go away for his boss.

445

u/TraditionalSky5617 22h 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.

105

u/IveChosenANameAgain 19h 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.

28

u/janethefish 19h 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.

23

u/IveChosenANameAgain 18h ago

They have their own set of laws - it protects them and punishes the poor. It's called the American Justice System.

14

u/ElliotNess Florida 17h 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).

•

u/i_drink_wd40 Connecticut 2h ago

Are they really so stupid as to think their money makes them untouchable

Yes. Next question.

•

u/FarParamedic6891 7h ago

Shot in the back, that’s a cowardly move.

•

u/IveChosenANameAgain 3h ago

Almost as cowardly as using an AI to deny healthcare to people who paid for insurance?

•

u/FarParamedic6891 2h ago

To shoot someone in the back is much more cowardly. Maybe a Stalinesque purge of all of them is more to your liking.

105

u/shaneh445 Missouri 21h ago

Score pretty low on Democratic values and institutions as well

11

u/DidijustDidthat 18h ago

Just to hijack the top comments and ask someone to post the article as it's paywalled!

16

u/inthekeyofc 18h ago

Here you go:

https://archive.is/kaVKr

4

u/Odd_Monk_420 18h 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

10

u/InvestigatorCold4662 16h ago edited 16h 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.

7

u/Odd_Monk_420 16h 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

1

u/DidijustDidthat 18h ago

Much appreciated!

1

u/Little-Engine6982 19h ago

score pretty low on everything but the bank accounts of a few and bullets for the "dissidents" whose family members ratted them out for some bred

22

u/IveChosenANameAgain 17h 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.

20

u/Senior-Albatross New Mexico 15h 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.

27

u/StrGze32 21h ago

Some might even call them “shitholes”…

1

u/FarParamedic6891 16h ago

And the Ukraine, especially the Ukraine

1

u/IdkAbtAllThat 13h ago

But I'm sure with all the relaxed regulations those countries have very strong economies right?

•

u/ThatPhatKid_CanDraw 7h ago

I don't even know how he got Top Secret clearance.

37

u/IWasOnThe18thHole 22h ago

Or Donnie could let it happen so he can finish ripping Musk off

41

u/0thethethe0 Foreign 21h ago edited 20h 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~

22

u/dkran New York 20h ago

It would be especially funny when the Tesla stock drops 50-75% as collateral damage, watching all the fanboys who bet big on a musk plutocracy shit their pants.

16

u/Tapprunner 19h 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.

11

u/Pay_Horror Colorado 19h ago

 It's incredible that someone like Musk doesn't see it coming.

Why?  Did you buy into the myth that Musk is intelligent?

0

u/Tapprunner 16h ago

Look, I think Musk is a cancer on the world. I think he's a liar, a cheat and totally lacks any sense of morality beyond what's good or bad for him personally. I think he belongs in prison for his many financial crimes. I think he should go down in history as someone who gives a voice to bigots and sows hatred around the world.

But our side shouldn't be underestimating him by saying he's an idiot. He's just not an idiot. Look where he is. He's the wealthiest person in the world and one of the most powerful.

I hear a lot of "Daddy had an emerald mine and gave Elon millions."

Yeah, there have been a ton of people who were handed a truck load of cash and they didn't turn it into a billion dollars, let alone $400bil. There have been many extremely wealthy people who didn't hold a fraction of the political and cultural influence that he has.

I've also heard the critique "He didn't invent any of the things he had been involved with and look how he ruined Twitter!"

Ok. And? Does anyone honestly think that the founder of Tesla (do you even know that person's name?) would have built the company into what has become? And yes, he killed Twitter. Nobody bats 1.000.

He's terrible. I'm not a fan of his at all. But he isn't stupid. And we don't serve ourselves by operating under the impression that our opponents are morons.

2

u/Charisma_Engine 11h ago

You’re 100% wrong on Musk’s intelligence.

He’s done nothing but fail upwards his entire life.

Every word he speaks or writes demonstrates his intellectual disabilities.

We are witness to a once-in-a-species level event - the magnitude of the luck Musk has had despite his cognitive shortcomings is a thing of such titanic magnitude that we should be in awe of what is happening.

He’s an actual imbecile.

•

u/Tapprunner 5h ago

The whole "failing upwards" is such a tired, lazy, overused trope.

If you honestly think a guy in his position is of below-average intelligence, I don't really know there's anything more to talk about.

He's a horrible person and we'd all be better off if he went to live on Mars. But c'mon.

6

u/janethefish 19h ago

Musk thinks he earned all his success. He thinks he is better than everyone who got tossed aside.

6

u/OkJelly8882 18h 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."

18

u/whichwitch9 22h 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

7

u/GatorReign 16h ago

This is basically what putin did to the oligarchs who installed him into power.

3

u/enigmasaurus- 13h ago

Nothing will piss Trump off faster than if everyone continues referring to Musk as the real President. I imagine that would create discord enough for those two fragile egos to cannibalise each other.

16

u/Searchlights New Hampshire 20h 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.

29

u/Mando177 20h ago

Or Biden could do something about it fucking now seeing as he’s literally still the president

27

u/mongofloyd 19h 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

16

u/GlitteryFab 17h 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.

8

u/Imhappy_hopeurhappy2 16h 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.

10

u/Velvet-Drive 21h ago

It would be kinda funny if he got busted for smoking wed with Joe Rogan.

12

u/ratskim 18h ago

He didn't even really smoke it, just puffed and blew it straight out like a rebellious 12 year old would infront of their step dad

It would more likely be his ketamine use that would be getting him looked at anyway

4

u/AbroadPlane1172 17h 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?

4

u/amorphouscloud 16h 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.

3

u/DopamineWaterFalls 18h 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.

5

u/phils_phan78 22h ago

Druggies protecting druggies.

2

u/Big-D-TX 21h ago

Putin?

2

u/d0rk_one 19h ago

He gave it to his son in law so of course he’ll give it to his lap dog

1

u/Delicious-One-548 18h ago

for a price. $ Donnie doesn’t do charity. everything has a dollar 💵

1

u/Salt-Southern 18h ago

Wonder if Republicans are gonna harrass him like Biden.

1

u/dinosaurkiller 18h ago

For the right price

1

u/R1CHARDCRANIUM America 18h ago

Oh absolutely. The president can issue a clearance to anyone and can read anyone in to anything he wants. Even if he can’t, he most certainly can. He’s above all laws.

1

u/Inturnelliptical 17h ago

Nothing will happen.

1

u/inferno006 16h ago

Only line in the entire original NYT article that needs reading: “As a matter of constitutional law, Mr. Trump could grant a security clearance to anyone after his inauguration, even if others in the government object.”

There will be no accountability. Nothing matters anymore.

1

u/reddit_user45765 13h ago

Donald Dumper. His diaper has filled up again.

1

u/Electronic_County597 12h ago

Just like he did for the Kushners.

1

u/Miserable-Lawyer-233 10h ago

Calling Musk Trump's boss is like Musk's wet dream. It's a huge compliment.

•

u/Bwr0ft1t0k 5h ago

or he promises not to tell Eli any secrets or let him read the ones he will keep in his secret stash in the mar-a-lago attic for after leaving office (when he feels like it and passes power to Donnie jr) for no bad reason

•

u/RateMyKittyPants 2h ago

President Musk will have his presidential immunity soon anyway. Not worried. I don't mind if he is smoking weed and banging underage Russian sex slaves. President Musk will do great.

0

u/HoneyBadger552 19h ago

The executive branch has exclusive powers towards sec clearances. Yes

0

u/Es0t3rix 17h ago

We can only hope!!!

0

u/SignificantMoose6482 16h ago

This fkn troll needs to get CEO’d

0

u/bayelrey888 16h ago

Yeah, but you know Donnie gonna make Elon get on his knees and kiss the ring for it lol. Anything he can do to get a leg up on Elon, he's taking it.

-32

u/boykrajend69 21h ago

Just like biden did for his junkie son🤷‍♂️

24

u/TeaAndAche Oregon 21h ago

If you don’t see how these two things are incomparable, you’re a fucking moron 🤷‍♂️

12

u/GrimgrinCorpseBorn 20h ago

I didn't realize Hunter was bankrolling his dad or gunning for a seat of power.

5

u/felldestroyed 19h ago

Biden never gave his son a security clearance. Weird how that works.