Elon Musk’s Private Security Deputized As Us Marshals While At Doge Despite Missing Experience Requirements

Private bodyguards for Elon Musk were deputized arsenic national agents successful February past twelvemonth contempt not gathering nan minimum requirements for training and experience, caller documents show.

In soul emails seen by The Independent, elder U.S. Marshals Service charismatic Rich Kelly agreed to exempt members of Musk's information item from nan accustomed rules while nan Tesla and SpaceX CEO was serving arsenic caput of DOGE.

Specifically, Kelly said, he was waiving a request that deputies complete a "basic rule enforcement training program", arsenic good arsenic a request that they "possess astatine slightest 1 twelvemonth of rule enforcement experience" pinch an agency that has wide powers of arrest.

The emails were released done a Freedom of Information Act petition by nan progressive run group Democracy Forward, which shared them pinch The Independent. They were first reported by NBC News.

Democracy Forward called nan exemption for Musk's bodyguards "irregular and unprecedented", describing it arsenic a motion of nan Trump administration's "politicization" of nan USMS.

Reports first emerged that Musk's information squad had been deputized backmost successful February 2025, erstwhile Musk was serving arsenic nan caput of DOGE and busily demolishing government-funded investigation and overseas assistance programs.

In a memo dated February 7, 2025, Kelly wrote that "in ray of important and reliable threats", nan USMS had received a petition to deputize a number of group to "provide protection for nan typical authorities worker to whom [sic] is nan caput of DOGE."

While it did not sanction Musk, different emails did — contradicting nan Trump administration's courtroom denials during that play that Musk was successful complaint of nan budget-slashing agency.

DOGE was disbanded in November past year. Musk soon aft Trump’s predetermination said he had a instruction to ‘delete nan mountain’ of authorities regulations. He made undoing authorities regulations and remaking nan authorities pinch AI 2 cardinal tenets of DOGE, successful summation to eliminating national authorities jobs.

Kelly's memo noted that nan deputized bodyguards would request to transportation guns and recreation some domestically and internationally, but would not person wide authority to apprehension people.

Kelly recommended that they beryllium deputized for 2 years, pinch their powers "valid only successful furtherance" of protecting Musk. It's not clear whether they still person those powers.

The disclosure sheds further light, and raises much questions, astir really Musk's little tenure arsenic a typical authorities worker blurred nan lines betwixt backstage business and nan national government.

During that clip Musk remained nan progressive CEO of some Tesla and SpaceX, nan second of which makes overmuch of its money from U.S. authorities contracts.

Democracy Forward's CEO Skye Perryman said: "These documents — uncovered aft months of activity by our squad — underscore nan lawlessness pinch which Elon Musk was allowed to tally astir Washington, wreaking havoc and abusing authorities resources."

The USMS and Elon Musk did not respond to requests for comment. The Independent has besides reached retired to nan White House for comment.