The White House this week, upon repeated questions from the news media, said that Elon Musk is now serving as what it called a “special government employee,” as he helps radically revamp federal government operations. That would give Mr. Musk a kind of hybrid status somewhere between a private citizen and a full-time federal staff member.

A White House spokesman told The New York Times on Monday that Mr. Musk has been given this status as a special government employee, but no official records have been released documenting it.

A special government employee is an executive branch appointee named to “perform important, but limited, services to the government, with or without compensation, for a period not to exceed 130 days” during a one-year period.

Most often, people in this role are serving on special advisory committees that rely on private sector experts to help shape government policymaking, such as determining what kinds of pesticides are safe to use on foods.

But senior executive branch advisers have held such positions in the past. Huma Abedin worked during the Obama administration as a State Department adviser while also holding a private sector job. Scott Atlas, a doctor, advised President Trump on issues related to the pandemic during his first term.

Federal law does not block a special government employee from playing a role in a general policy choice that happens to impact someone’s financial holdings, such as a new tax policy that affects millions of Americans.

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