Philadelphia DA sues Musk PAC to stop $1 million lottery for voters
The Philadelphia District Attorney's Office is suing to halt a political action committee run by billionaire Elon Musk from giving away $1 million to registered voters in swing states.
The lawsuit by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner alleges Musk and his America PAC of trying to influence voters in the presidential election. It comes just days after the Justice Department sent a letter to the super PAC founded by Musk, listed by Bloomberg News as the wealthiest person in the world, warning that awarding $1 million to registered voters could violate federal laws against paying voters.
"The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections," Krasner said in a statement announcing the complaint.
Musk, the founder of Tesla and SpaceX, has gone all-in on Former President Donald Trump's candidacy for the White House, vowing to hand out $1 million a day to voters for signing his PAC's petition calling for free speech and the right to bear arms.
Some experts have questioned the legality of the giveaway.
"What he really wants to do is get people who he thinks are going to vote for Trump, but aren't registered, to register to vote," Northwestern law professor Michael Kang told CBS News' Jo Ling Kent.
"The actions that we are seeing violates federal law pretty clearly. I don't think it's a particularly close call," Adav Noti, executive director of the Campaign Legal Center, told Kent.
The PAC has so far given out sweepstakes-style checks to nine people around the U.S., according to America PAC's website, including four in Pennsylvania. The group notes that the payments are only available to registered voters in seven states, but includes a "special offer" for registered voters in Pennsylvania, offering $100 to petition signers and another $100 to those who referred a signer.
"Our goal is to get 1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the Constitution, especially freedom of speech and the right to bear arms," the group says. "This program is exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina."