Reports: DOJ Warns Musk $1M Giveaway Possibly Illegal

Above: SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks at a Pittsburgh, Pa., town hall Oct. 20, 2024. Image copyright: Michael Swensen/Stringer/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The Facts

  • The US Justice Department (DOJ) has reportedly sent a letter to America PAC — the super PAC founded by Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk — warning that its lottery awarding $1M to select registered voters who sign its petition in support of the First and Second Amendment could be illegal.

  • Musk on Saturday announced plans to award the prize every day until the election. To be eligible voters must be registered in one of the seven swing states — Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, or North Carolina.


The Spin

Democratic narrative

Two things in this case are clear-cut: first, Musk's lottery is highly illegal, as paying people to register to vote is prohibited by federal law, even if a draw is involved. Second, Musk's Trump-loving PAC is trying to pay people to turn out and vote for the former president because Republicans are getting desperate and they have no plan to sell to American voters. Intervention is absolutely necessary to stop the Tesla CEO's actions undermining the election.

Republican narrative

It's extremely rich for Democrats to constantly claim to be the party of voter engagement and election integrity while the Biden administration threatens Musk's PAC over its attempt to increase voter participation. Sadly, this follows a pattern among Democrats of undermining any chance that elections will be free and fair by opposing election integrity laws across the country.


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