Musk's Private Security Detail Has Been Deputized

The US Marshals Service has deputized members of Elon Musk's security detail—an unusual move that affords the private force some of the rights that usually apply only to federal law enforcement agents. The billionaire doesn't have Secret Service protection, and he's received death threats in the past month, as his Department of Government Efficiency moves to fire thousands of federal workers. The security guards who are deputized could now be authorized to carry weapons on federal property, CNN reports. And the Marshals Service might now be legally liable for their actions.

Musk alluded to the threats Thursday in addressing the Conservative Political Action Conference, per the Hill. When a moderator referred to Musk's "enormous" security team, the billionaire said: "It's not enormous. Maybe it should be bigger." It's big enough that surprised people close to President Trump have pointed out that only the boss has a larger one, per CNN. It remains unclear why Musk doesn't have Secret Service protection; all it requires is an executive order from Trump, per CBS News.

That would be more usual than deputizing people who are not law enforcement officers of some type. The Secret Service issued a statement saying only that its protocols prohibit armed private security services from being in the Treasury Building, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, or the White House. It's not clear how many Musk employees were deputized, a status that a Justice Department manual says is in effect for a year, or what privileges they'll have. "I don't actually have a death wish," Musk said at the conference. (More Elon Musk stories.)