Members of Elon Musk’s private security detail have been deputized by the U.S. Marshals Service, according to CNN.
Three law enforcement officials who spoke to the outlet said Musk’s security now enjoys certain rights and protections of federal agents.
The billionaire’s personal detail was limited in what they could do in Washington, D.C., as the DOGE chief is ineligible for a Secret Service detail. But the deputized members can now carry weapons on federal grounds, and the Marshals Service could be held liable for any untoward incidents involving them, CNN reported.
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The Marshals Service has deputized security details in the past, including Dr. Anthony Fauci’s. The deputization, normally handed by the attorney general, lasts one year.
Musk has reportedly told those around him that he has been receiving more death threats since he took the helm of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency.
“I don’t actually have a death wish,” he said in an interview at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Thursday.
Musk said his security detail was “not enormous,” adding that “maybe it should be bigger.”
A Trump-appointed federal prosecutor earlier vowed to pursue legal action against anyone who makes threats against Musk and his DOGE goons.
“I recognize that some of the staff at DOGE has been targeted publicly,” Ed Martin, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia said on X. “Any threats, confrontations, or other actions in any way that impact their work may break numerous laws.”
Martin made good on his word this week, sending California Rep. Robert Garcia a letter demanding an explanation for comments the lawmaker made about Musk in an interview on CNN.
“What the American public wants is for us to bring actual weapons to this bar fight,” Garcia said in the CNN interview. “This is an actual fight for democracy.”
Garcia earlier called Musk a “d—k” during a congressional hearing.
“So if you criticize Elon Musk, Trump’s DOJ will send you this letter,” Garcia said on X. “Members of Congress must have the right to forcefully oppose the Trump Administration. I will not be silenced.”
