White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt faced questions on Monday regarding billionaire Elon Musk’s government role and security clearance.

“Can you confirm Elon Musk is a special government employee? What kind of security clearance does he have?” asked CNN’s Kaitlan Collins.

Leavitt confirmed Musk’s status as a special government employee and said he had abided by federal laws but wasn’t sure about his security clearance or background check. She promised to follow up.

CNN later reported that Musk had allegedly received a top-secret security clearance. Attorney Arthur Aidala argued Musk shouldn’t require a background check, citing his contributions to space exploration.

In January, Musk pledged to bring home astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who had been stranded in space for nearly eight months due to delays during Biden’s administration. Plans for their return on a SpaceX capsule had been in place since the Biden presidency but were repeatedly postponed.

Musk revealed on social media that President Trump personally asked for SpaceX’s help in retrieving the astronauts. The delays stemmed from technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner, forcing NASA to call it back to Earth.

NASA planned for a SpaceX capsule to bring the astronauts home by February, but the mission was delayed to March or April. SpaceX postponed the launch to ensure the replacement crew arrived at the International Space Station before Wilmore and Williams’ departure.

Initially, Musk and entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy were tapped to lead the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Ramaswamy later exited to run for governor of Ohio. Both had been vocal about reducing federal government power during Trump’s campaign.