If this report is true, then it raises <i>extremely serious</i> questions of conflict of interest and national security.<p>It's possible to argue that Elon as the special advisor to the president needs the unfettered access to all of the US govt(including national security) that he currently has.<p>It is impossible to argue that doing so is not a blatant conflict of interest and a security risk given that a large part of this net worth depends on SpaceX stock's performance.<p>To be clear, there is an established process for people with substantial assets and potential conflicts of interest to participate in senior roles in the govt. They have to place their assets in a trust which they do not control(preferably a blind trust). Doing so reduces, but does not eliminate the conflict of interest.<p>It's completely out of the playbook to for the CEO of a company that receives substantial govt contracts to be in a position to strongly influence who receives those contracts.<p>It's on another planet all together for the same person to be privy to the highest levels of national security discussions while his company receives substantial investment from the primary strategic competitor of the United States(as defined by the president himself)<p>It <i>just</i> might be possible that everything is hunky dory and Elon's personal ethics are strong enough, however in these cases, even the <i>appearance</i> of corruption is enough.