Tesla CEO, majority-owner of social media platform X, and supporter of former President Donald Trump (R) Elon Musk has been sued by the Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence S. Krasner over an alleged “illegal lottery” in which Musk is giving away $1 million prizes to some of those who sign a pledge supporting the Constitution.
Founded earlier this year by Musk, the America PAC launched a petition on October 7 — called a “Petition in Favor of Free Speech and the Right to Bear Arms” — and offered $47 a piece for referring registered voters in swing states to sign on. Pennsylvania participants referring a registered Pennsylvania voter would be eligible for a $100 payout.
It is alleged in the lawsuit that eligible signatories have not yet been paid for referring others and have not been told when or how payment will be tendered.
It was later announced that the PAC would be giving away $1 million to a signatory of the petition every day until Election Day.
“We want to try to get over a million, maybe 2 million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment,” Musk said at a Trump campaign event in Harrisburg, PA when he first announced the iniaitive. “We are going to be awarding $1 million randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election.”
The posted rules of the $1 million giveaway explain that as of October 27, only voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina would be eligible for the prize.
The District Attorney’s lawsuit alleges that Musk and his PAC have “shrouded key aspects of the lottery in secrecy” and “appear to be making false statements about the lottery.”
He goes on to suggest that, among other things, winners are not actually chosen at random, citing the fact that the winners on October 19 and 20 both lived near the location of his rallies on those days and were in attendance at these events. If selection is not random, the District Attorney argues that it would mean the giveaway’s advertising was deceptive, thus making it an illegal endeavor.
Assuming that selection is random, the District Attorney maintains that the giveaway is illegal, as Musk and his PAC have alleged not provided complete information concerning the rules of the giveaway, logistics of how payments are to be made, and what privacy policies are used to protect sensitive information.
As an immediate result of this lawsuit, the District Attorney is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Musk from continuing with these giveaways in the days leading up to the November election, arguing that Musk “must be stopped, immediately” from pursuing an alleged “scheme to influence voters.”
“If not enjoined, their lottery scheme will irreparably harm Philadelphians — and others in Pennsylvanians — and tarnish the public’s right to a free and fair election,” the District Attorney concludes.
The District Attorney has brought two counts against Musk and his PAC, including being a public nuisance, as well as violating the state’s unfair trade practices and consumer protection laws.
Click Here to Read the Full Complaint
Musk’s proposal has also been called into question over its legality under campaign finance law, as federal statute prohibits paying people to register to vote. According to CNN, the federal Department of Justice (DOJ) reached out to Musk’s PAC last week regarding these concerns.
The lawsuit filed by the Philadelphia District Attorney, however, does not delve into any questions pertaining to campaign finance law with respect to the giveaways.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which first reported the story, the District Attorney’s suit represents the only current lawsuit against the PAC as of this article’s publication.
Musk has previously said in a post on X — apparently responding to criticism from Maine author Stephen King — that swing state voters are eligible to receive one of the $1 million prizes regardless of political party affiliation or their decision to vote in the upcoming election.
<span class="dsq-postid" data-dsqidentifier="32135 https://www.themainewire.com/?p=32135">4 Comments
Sure, but it’s ok to say “vote for me and I’ll illegally transfer your collage debt”?
Philadelphia District Attorney = P. O. S.
Run by democrats ….a crime infested shit hole …..hopeless
Vote these democrats out in November .
Save Maine . Save America . Vote Republican .
More Lawfare from the Democrats .
Plain and SIMPLE
Re-elect them and this will continue forever .
Without Republican Control in Washington we are a lost nation .
Coming from a state whose ballot management is a joke