Ethics laws make it a federal criminal offense to take actions that benefit family businesses — even for so-called special government employees, unless a waiver is issued.

Now that Elon Musk has been classified as a "special government employee," he will get greater access to U.S. government agencies.

Elon Musk's control of a federal payment system is raising concerns about funding for programs like Social Security and the safety of personal data.

The confirmation of a Musk associate's access to the system codes came in a letter from a Treasury official to Democratic Senator Ron Wyden that said the review was being undertaken to "maximize payment integrity for agencies and the public".