Musk’s America’s Committee Can Continue Writing Checks to Voters, Judge Says

A Pennsylvania judge on Monday rejected a Philadelphia district attorney’s attempt to stop Elon Musk’s US PAC from handing out cash prizes to registered voters.

The injunction means Musk’s PAC will be able to hold its final giveaway on Tuesday, the last day of the offer.

America PAC promised million-dollar checks to some voters and $47 and $100 payments to other registered voters who signed political pledges in swing states. On Election Day it was advertised as a lottery drawing.

Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued Musk and America PAC last month, arguing that the giveaways were an illegal, unregulated lottery, but at a hearing Monday, America PAC attorney Chris Gober said it was not a lottery because winners were not determined. accidentally. .

According to Gober, the PAC selects winners who effectively serve as representatives, and they then “earn” $1 million for doing so.

If so, attorney John Summers said on behalf of the city in his closing argument, “this is one of the greatest scams of the last 50 years.”

Krasner, taking the witness stand in court, argued that Musk’s giveaway was instead a data harvesting effort, obtaining voters’ personal information with the promise of a potential prize.

Musk’s lawyers defended the effort as free speech, with attorney Andy Taylor calling the district attorney’s lawsuit a “horrible violation of constitutional rights.”

They also argued that because the contest ended on Tuesday (the $1 million prize went to someone in Michigan, not Pennsylvania) and that thousands of checks had already been mailed, the Pennsylvania case was moot.

Musk’s legal team delayed that hearing last week, filing a motion to move the case to federal court. The case was then remanded to state court, allowing the hearing to continue Monday.

The lawsuit is a civil matter and does not prevent the state from bringing criminal charges against Musk or America PAC in the future. During Monday’s hearing, Krasner testified that evidence he reviewed in an “ongoing criminal investigation” indicated to him that the awards should have been distributed randomly, and America PAC Director Chris Young said that was not the case.

Dustin M. Slaughter, a spokesman for the Philadelphia District Attorney, said after the judge’s decision: “A lot of truth came out of the court today, and it was amazing. Stay tuned.”