The U.S. Marshals Service waived parts of its own training and experience standards to deputize armed members of Elon Musk's private security team while he was leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, according to newly reported government emails.
The released correspondence, unearthed by NBC News, show that the Marshals Service began exploring the deputation request in February 2025 after the White House sought federal credentials for Musk's security team "in light of significant and credible threats" against him while he was deeply involved in efforts to shrink federal agencies. A Feb. 10 email said some members of the detail needed waivers because they fell short of the agency's normal standards.
Three days later, Rich Kelly, then the Marshals Service's associate director for operations, approved the request and authorized the exceptions. Reports based on the emails say the deputation was set to last two years, though it remains unclear whether it is still active.
The emails became public through a Freedom of Information Act fight brought by Democracy Forward, a legal advocacy group that sued for records tied to DOGE's use of the Marshals Service. The group said its requests focused not only on the deputizing of Musk's private security but also on reports that DOGE officials invoked the Marshals Service while seeking access to federal buildings and sensitive offices during Musk's campaign to slash the federal bureaucracy.
Skye Perryman, president and CEO of Democracy Forward, told NBC News: "These documents — uncovered after months of work by our team — underscore the lawlessness with which Elon Musk was allowed to run around Washington, wreaking havoc and abusing government resources."
During Musk's tenure as a senior Trump adviser, the initiative became deeply involved in efforts to dismantle or dramatically shrink agencies, including USAID. In March, a federal appeals court blocked, for the time being, an effort to force Musk to sit for a deposition about his role in dismantling the foreign aid agency. The disclosure lands with especially awkward timing because the Justice Department's inspector general had already warned about problems in the Marshals Service's special deputation program.
In a September 2024 audit, the inspector general found that weak policies and inadequate oversight had led the agency to approve special deputations involving questionable law enforcement authority provisions, inappropriate sponsorships, ineligible applicants, and inconsistent timeframes. While it remains uncertain whether members of Musk's team remain deputized, the documents indicate that the special deputization status would last two years.
