Elon Musk serving as ‘special govt employee’ in Trump administration: White House official

American tech billionaire Elon Musk is serving under US President Donald Trump’s administration as a special government employee, CNN reported, citing a White House official.

That designation implies that Musk, who has been in Trump administration, is not a volunteer but also not a full-time federal employee. A special government is “anyone who works, or is expected to work, for the government for 130 days or less in a 365-day period,” as per the US Department of Justice (DOJ) summary.

Musk is not getting paid in the Trump administration, CNN reported citing a person familiar with his employement. He has been granted top secret security clearance, according to an official familiar with the matter.

Elon Musk, who has been Trump supporter since his presidential campaign, has an office on the White House campus, as per the report. Trump has appointed Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

On Monday, Trump said that Musk has been granted access to the US Treasury Department’s critical payment system, which sends money on behalf of the US government. Federal unions and others filed lawsuit against the US Treasury Department for allowing Musk to access the system.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent was in the Oval Office when Trump made remarks regarding Musk’s purview. Donald Trump said, “Elon can’t do and won’t do anything without our approval. And we’ll give him the approval where appropriate. Where not appropriate, we won’t.”

As a special government employee, Musk is covered by a federal conflicts-of-interest statute that prevents government employees from participating in matters that would impact their financial interests. That law can be implemented criminally or in the civil context but only Justice Department can enforce it.

As a special government employee, Musk is also subject to many government ethics standard, but not all of them, CNN reported. It remains to be seen whether Musk’s position in the administration requires him to file a financial disclosure report that will be made public.

A special government employee “may be required to submit a financial disclosure report within 30 days of assuming your position. If you are paid above the rate paid to a GS-15 and expected to serve for more than 60 days, you are required to submit a report that is made available to the public. If you are paid at or below that level, you must file a report on a confidential basis if your decision making could have an economic effect on a non-federal entity,” according to the US Department of Justice summary.