Elon Musk's bodyguards were granted federal law enforcement authority without basic training or experience — a shocking breach of security protocols that allowed the world's wealthiest person's security detail to move through federal buildings with deputized agent credentials they had no business carrying.
According to reporting from MS NOW's David Ingram and Ryan J. Reilly, the U.S. Marshals Service released emails and documents obtained by Democracy Forward, a progressive advocacy group that sued to access the records. The revelations expose how corners were cut to accommodate Musk during his brief tenure as a senior adviser to President Trump overseeing the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from January through May.
The timeline exposes the casual disregard for federal law enforcement standards. In early February, as Musk was actively working to dismantle federal agencies like the U.S. Agency for International Development, the Marshals Service began considering deputizing his security detail.
But there was an obvious problem: Musk's bodyguards didn't meet basic federal law enforcement requirements.
According to an email dated February 10, at least some members of Musk's security detail lacked the fundamental credentials necessary for deputization. Specifically, "they had not successfully completed a 'basic law enforcement training program' or did not possess at least one year of law enforcement experience with an agency that had general arrest authority."
That should have been the end of it. Instead, it was merely a speedbump.
Just three days later, Rich Kelly, the Marshals Service's associate director for operations and the agency's third-in-command, authorized waivers granting the bodyguards exceptions to the standard eligibility requirements.
Kelly, a career official, retired in September and declined to comment on the decision. The documents indicate the deputation was officially granted in the second week of February 2025 and was scheduled to remain in effect for two years.
It remains unclear whether the Marshals Service has since ended the special deputation status — or if Musk's bodyguards still retain federal law enforcement credentials they were never qualified to hold.
