‘I Can Check’: White House Spox Not Sure If Elon Musk Passed Background Check or Has Security Clearance

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was grilled on Monday over whether or not billionaire Trump ally Elon Musk had received a security clearance or passed a background check.

“Can you confirm that Elon Musk is a special government employee?” asked CNN chief White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins. “And what kind of security clearance does he have?”

Leavitt replied, “I can confirm he’s a special government employee. I can also confirm that he has abided by all applicable federal laws. As for his security clearance, I’m not sure, but I can check back with you.”

“Did he pass a background check, do you know?” Collins pressed, to which Leavitt answered, “I don’t know about the security clearance, but I can check.”

Asked whether she knew if anyone on Musk’s team had also received a security clearance, Leavitt replied, “I don’t, no, but again, I can check on that for you.”

CNN reported on Monday that Musk’s designation as a special government employee means he “is not a volunteer but also not a full-time federal employee.”

An unnamed source told CNN that Musk had been given “a top-secret security clearance.”

After President Donald Trump appointed Musk as director of the “Department of Government Efficiency” last month, the billionaire quickly set to work on reducing government expenditure – locking federal employees out of their computers and offices, taking control of a massive database of staff, and gaining access to a sensitive Treasury Department payments system.

Despite Musk’s level of access to government, however, the White House has been unable to answer questions about the billionaire’s security clearance and background check.

Last month, CNN guest Arthur Aidala argued that Musk shouldn’t need a background check to work in the government because he had “gotten us into space” and “gotten us to the moon.”