Elon Musk's access to government secrets questioned after bizarre cannabis interview
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Elon Musk has access to some of the government's most important secrets. And that is getting to be a worry.
The SpaceX boss has high-level security clearance as a result of his work with the rocket firm he founded and which carries sometimes mysterious government hardware up into space.
But that same clearance comes with some stipulations, including a prohibition on smoking marijuana. And Mr Musk very publicly did that when he appeared on Joe Rogan's podcast in a livestreamed appearance that also saw him drink whiskey, wield a sword and ponder what it is like to be a horse.
After that video surfaced, numerous reports suggested that the Air Force was reconsidering Mr Musk's government clearance. Fox Business Network and CNBC both reported that officials were looking into his smoking, as well as potentially his other behaviour.
It appears that any possible investigation isn't happening yet. But Air Force spokespeople did not rule it out.
“It’s inaccurate that there is an investigation," one told The Verge. "We’ll need time to determine the facts and the appropriate process to handle the situation,”
The reports came at the end of a very bad week for Mr Musk, which as well as the bizarre video also saw two high-profile executives leave Tesla. That in turn led the company's stock to plunge.
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