Elon Musk appears to have abandoned his controversial lottery scheme to encourage swing-state voters after receiving a pointed letter from the US Department of Justice.
The tech billionaire, who has thrown his weight behind the Trump campaign, vowed he would give away $1 million a day to a registered voter in key battleground states until November 5. Each winner would be chosen at random from a list of signatories to a petition pledging to support free speech and gun rights.
The Telsa and Space X founder’s electoral sweepstake began Saturday in Pennsylvania and has already announced four winners. Musk, the world’s richest man, planned to roll it out to Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina this week.
Radio Silence
But no winner was announced on Wednesday, the same day CNN reported the Justice Department had written to Musk’s super PAC, America PAC, warning the lottery might be illegal.
It’s not completely clear whether the warning was the reason why America PAC was uncharacteristically silent on the lottery Wednesday.
Previously, winners were announced with fanfare, but by Thursday all mention of the lottery had been removed from the America PAC website. Neither did Musk mention it on X, the social media platform he owns.
Under federal law, it is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to “pay or offer to pay or accept payment either for registration to vote or for voting.”
In Pennsylvania, signatories to Musk’s petition were getting $100 simply for filling in their details, plus another $100 for each person they referred who signed.
The Justice Department’s Election Crimes Manual notes that vote-buying is a bribery offence under the US Constitution. It specifically includes “lottery chances,” as a prohibited inducement.
‘Deeply Concerning’
Pennsylvania’s Democratic governor, Josh Shapiro, described the lottery as “deeply concerning” Sunday. Musk hit back on X that it was “concerning that he would say such a thing.”
America PAC has declined media requests to comment on recent developments, but earlier this week a spokesman claimed the lottery was lawful.
The PAC is confident in the legality of this initiative and the predictable media meltdown is only helping America PAC’s efforts to support President Trump [sic],” the spokesman said.
Musk has pledged to spend $75 million to support Trump’s campaign. Earlier this month he joined the former president on stage at a rally in Butler, Penn., the site of an assassination attempt on Trump in July.
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