Some members of billionaire Elon Musk’s personal security team were granted federal agent status last year, despite many reportedly not meeting the usual standards of training and experience, NBC reported Monday (local time), citing government emails.
Recently released government emails have revealed how the US Marshals Service treated Musk’s security team during his five-month role in US President Donald Trump’s second administration. Podle dokumentů agentura v únoru 2025 schválila žádost Bílého domu, aby zastupovala Muskovy bodyguardy, což jim umožnilo nosit zbraně v určitých federálních budovách a nadále mu poskytovat ochranu.
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Majitel Tesly a nejbohatší člověk světa Elon Musk sloužil jako hlavní poradce Trumpa a byl vedoucím odboru pro vládní efektivitu (DOGE). He served at the department from January to May last year.
US Marshals Service releases emails
The US Marshals Service has released documents and emails that came in response to a Freedom of Information Act request filed by Democracy Forward, a progressive organization investigating Elon Musk’s time in the Trump administration. After suing last year to obtain the documents, the group later provided them to NBC News.
The emails revealed that the agency first began investigating the representation of Musk’s security team back in February because he was deeply involved in efforts to curtail federal agencies such as the U.S. Agency for International Development.
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But there was a snag: Musk’s security team didn’t fully meet the agency’s standards for acting as federal law enforcement. According to a Feb. 10 email, some members of his team requested a special waiver because they had not completed a formal basic law enforcement training program or lacked at least a year of experience with an arrest-authorized agency. On February 13, Marshals Service Deputy Chief Operating Officer Rich Kelly approved the request and approved a waiver for his team, granting Musk’s bodyguards an exemption from the prescribed eligibility requirements.
The Marshals Service uses special deputations under control
According to the report, the agency’s use of special deputations was already under scrutiny. V auditní zprávě ze září 2024 generální inspektor ministerstva spravedlnosti (DOJ) zjistil, že agentura zastupovala několik nezpůsobilých osob a další pro sporné účely.
Musk’s response to his security
In February 2025, during an on-stage interview, Musk was asked about his security at the Conservative Political Action Conference, where he said his security staff should be even bigger.
Additionally, it remains unclear if and when the agency ended Musk’s special deputation. However, the documents show that the deputation, which was officially granted in the second week of February last year, was to last for two years.
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Musk’s tenure at DOGE
The emails, according to the report, provide a behind-the-scenes look at the discussions that took place as Musk and his staff took over parts of the federal government. In February 2025, the billionaire campaigned to cut government spending, which he disagreed with. This included efforts to cut the agencies wholesale without congressional approval, although DOGE ultimately failed to reduce overall spending levels.
Musk’s five-month tenure at DOGE has been heavily criticized by unions, government employees and Democrats for circumventing laws and regulations. Last May, a federal judge ruled that DOGE’s takeover of the US Institute of Peace was illegal.
