CNN Gets Shock Response After Filing Freedom of Information Request On Elon Musk’s Security Clearance: ‘Good Luck With That’
CNN published a report on Tuesday detailing how its reporters learned that the Trump administration “quietly fired” members of the “privacy team” that oversees federal workers with security clearances.
“CNN was first notified of the firings at the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) in response to a freedom of information act request for records related to the security clearances of Musk and anyone from the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) who has been granted access to sensitive or classified government networks,” explained the report.
In response to the reporters’ filing on Elon Musk’s security clearance details, the network received an email that read, “Good luck with that, they just fired the whole privacy team.” Musk’s security clearance has been a hot topic in the media as his DOGE team has gained access to sensitive data across the federal government.
CNN’s report comes the day after the White House declared in a legal filing that Musk is “not an employee of the U.S. DOGE Service or the U.S. DOGE Service temporary organization.”
Joshua Fisher, the director of the White House’s Office of Administration, wrote in his filing that “Mr. Musk is an employee of the White House office.”
“He holds that position as a non-career Special Government Employee (“SGE”). In that job, Mr. Musk is a Senior Advisor to the President. In his role as Senior Advisor to the President, Mr. Musk has no greater authority than other Senior White House Advisors. Like other Senior White House Advisors, Mr. Musk has no actual or formal authority to make government decisions,” he added.
CNN added some additional details to the firings:
In addition to the privacy team, members of OPM’s communications staff and employees who handle FOIA requests were also fired, two sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
Some of the firings are not set to take effect until April 15, one of the sources added.
Asked about the firings, an OPM official told CNN that the agency did not lay off the entire privacy team but declined to comment further.
Read the full report here.
