Members of Elon Musk’s private security team have received deputization from the U.S. Marshals Service, which endows them with specific rights and protections similar to those of federal law enforcement agents, four sources knowledgeable about this development told CBS News on Thursday.
This decision arises after multiple individuals close to Musk expressed increased concerns regarding the tech mogul’s safety, citing several death threats received in recent weeks.
The CEO of Tesla, who has also advised President Trump, highlighted these security concerns during a talk at a conservative event held outside Washington, D.C. on Thursday.
“President Bukele from El Salvador, who has successfully incarcerated around a hundred thousand violent criminals, reached out to me,” Musk shared with attendees at the Conservative Political Action Conference. “‘I am worried about your security,'” he recounted the Central American leader saying. Musk responded, “I’m like, ‘Dude, you are worried about my security?'”
“It’s not huge,” Musk commented regarding his security detail. “Perhaps it should be larger.”
Musk was appointed by President Trump to lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency, abbreviated as DOGE. Since Trump took office last month, Musk’s team has been working on reducing thousands of federal positions across various agencies. Furthermore, DOGE has generated controversy by pursuing access to sensitive governmental information.
In a statement released late Thursday, Secret Service spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi directed CBS News to DOGE’s communications office.
“While we cannot disclose the specifics of our protective measures, Secret Service protocols firmly prohibit private security details from being armed within the Treasury Building, Eisenhower Executive Office Building, or the White House,” Guglielmi noted in his statement.
The U.S. Marshals Service is accustomed to deputizing police officers. For example, during President Trump’s inauguration, 4,000 officers from various jurisdictions outside of Washington, D.C. across 178 different law enforcement agencies were sworn in and deputized by the U.S. Marshals to assist in safeguarding the nation’s capital.
Nevertheless, the deputization of private security personnel, who are not officially sworn law enforcement officers, is regarded as unconventional, raising questions among officials aware of the situation.
It remains unclear what authorities Musk’s team will be endowed with, but special deputies typically have the permission to carry firearms on federal property and to execute arrests.
CBS News has reached out to the White House, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Marshals Service for their input. UJ was the first to cover the story.
It is not clear why Musk was not assigned Secret Service protection by the White House. The agency could feasibly allocate a protective detail to anyone under an executive order from Trump. Besides the president, vice president, and the first and second families, Secret Service protection also extends to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, among other senior White House officials.
The U.S. Marshals are tasked with safeguarding over 2,700 sitting judges and approximately 30,300 federal prosecutors and court officials, along with the public visiting and working in federal courthouses nationwide. Included in those under their protection is Attorney General Pam Bondi.
