A New York judge has granted The New York Times access to Elon Musk’s security clearances while running the Department of Government Efficiency for Donald Trump.

The newspaper’s lawsuit demanded a two-page list of what Musk had access to during his four month stint in the White House and ‘any details about the extent and purview of each of the clearances’. 

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency filed on the government’s behalf, arguing the document would ‘invade Musk’s privacy’ and that he was still a private citizen.   

Judge Denise Cote, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, rejected that argument and said it could be handed over after a review for potential redactions and appeared to blame Musk’s own public statements.

She pointed out that Musk had said he had ‘a top secret security clearance’ and posted online about DCSA-related topics, including his use of ketamine and contacts with foreign leaders.

‘Musk’s numerous public statements regarding his own drug use and contacts with foreign leaders only enhance the public interest in disclosure,” she wrote.

Cote also cited the ‘numerous contracts’ Musk has been given by the government via SpaceX and called it ‘one of the largest federal contractors’. 

‘Is not disputed that SpaceX handles sensitive government information,’ she added, pointing out that Musk’s Starlink provides internet services to the US military.

A New York judge has granted The New York Times access to Elon Musk’s security clearances while running the Department of Government Efficiency over his contacts with foreign leaders

Musk spent four months running DOGE for President Donald Trump

Her rejection argued ‘substantial public interests in disclosure outweigh any cognizable privacy interest Musk holds’.

Cote gave the Trump administration until October 17 to argue for any potential redactions ‘to the extent any detail in the document invades Musk’s personal privacy beyond the issues discussed’. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the White House for comment.

Musk quit the Department of Government Efficiency and bid farewell to the White House in late May. 

The former First Buddy praised the president in an apparent effort to depart on good terms after he slammed Trump’s ‘big beautiful bill’ and admitted he was disappointed with the treatment his DOGE team had received.

‘As my scheduled time as a Special Government Employee comes to an end, I would like to thank President Trump for the opportunity to reduce wasteful spending,’ he wrote on X.

‘The DOGE mission will only strengthen over time as it becomes a way of life throughout the government.’

Musk was due to finish up his time at the White House by May 30. His appointment as a Special Government Employee was only temporary and designed to last 130 days. 

Judge Denise Cote, who was appointed by Bill Clinton, rejected that argument and said it could be handed over after a review for potential redactions and appeared to blame Musk’s own public statements 

And the world’s richest man had been slowly phasing out of politics for weeks amid whispers of tensions with top administration officials.

After helping Trump win the 2024 election with financial contributions and stage-jumping endorsements, Musk earned the title of ‘First Buddy’ in the White House.

For the first several months of Trump’s second term, Musk was everywhere – briefing Trump personally, gutting federal departments and even bringing his son, X, along to crucial meetings in the Oval Office.

But his arrival ruffled feathers both within the political establishment and among governmental employees, particularly when he set about mercilessly slashing jobs in an effort to root out wasteful spending. 

‘People burning Teslas,’ he told the Post. ‘Why would you do that?’

As Tesla showrooms around the nation became the epicenters of violent protests, stock prices nosedived and reports emerged that the board was seriously considering replacing Musk. 

Musk saved an estimated $160billion in what he labeled wasteful government spending by decimating or shutting down 11 federal agencies – putting about 250,000 federal employees out of work in the process.

But even that number is a far cry from the $2trillion he vowed to save when DOGE was launched, and it has cost him immensely with mounting lawsuits and global protests against both he and his companies.

He stepped back from his high-profile role recently to refocus on his lifelong goal of colonizing Mars amid whispers his friendship with Trump was on the rocks and that he’d made enemies within the White House.

Despite all the rumors, Trump praised Musk as he revealed the billionaire had taken a step back from DOGE and said he would have been welcome to ‘stay as long as you want.’