Philadelphia prosecutors sue Elon Musk’s America PAC over ‘illegal’ $1 million giveaway

Elon Musk’s daily handout of millions of dollars to voters in battleground states could be on the verge of shutting down in Pennsylvania.

Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit Monday seeking to stop what he called an “illegal” lottery run by Musk’s American Political Action Committee, which he launched in May to help former President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign.

“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner said. in the statement. “The district attorney also has a duty to protect the public from interference with the integrity of elections.”

“Today, the Philadelphia District Attorney filed a civil lawsuit under Pennsylvania law,” Krasner continued. “This civil action does not preclude or require potential future actions under Pennsylvania criminal law. The Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office will challenge the factual allegations and legal arguments that underlie today’s filing on the record and in court.”

Musk’s lottery is offering a daily $1 million prize to registered voters in swing states who sign his political action committee’s petition supporting the First and Second Amendments to the US Constitution.

But are lotteries legal?

Brendan Fisher, a campaign finance expert and deputy executive director of the investigative group Documented, explained why he believes the lottery may be breaking the law.

“The problem is not that Elon Musk is encouraging people to sign up, and that’s fine,” Fisher said. “But it potentially pays people to sign up or stipulates payments; makes these payments conditional on their registration, and this appears to violate the law.”

Several checks have already been awarded to the winners. including Christine Fishell, who praised Musk for the “wealth and responsibility” he uses to “save speech.”

“This could represent the next frontier of money and politics,” she added, “with billionaires giving money directly to voters in exchange for them registering and potentially voting.”