Musk’s $1M Giveaways Allowed to Continue
Christina Lewis /
Tech mogul Elon Musk’s America PAC faced legal scrutiny for offering financial incentives for voters to sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments.
Some saw the legal challenge in Philadelphia as a partisan double-standard against Musk, and on Monday, a municipal judge there rejected the local district attorney’s call for halting the giveaways.
Every day since Oct. 20, one person has received $1 million for signing the petition in the lead-up to Tuesday’s election.
That was not sitting well with the Left, however. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, whose campaign for office was heavily financed by leftist billionaire George Soros, sued Musk over the giveaways.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries,” the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office said in an Oct. 28 press release. “The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections.”
Some have wondered, if Krasner thinks Musk’s raffle is improper or illegal, then why didn’t he likewise sue former first lady Michelle Obama over her now-ended “When We All Vote” campaign raffle?
According to Obama’s campaign’s website, registered voters across the country could put their names in a raffle to win two tickets to an exclusive event with Obama that was held on Sept. 16 in Las Vegas. The winner and a guest had the opportunity to meet Obama at the event, with hotel and airfare included.
National nonprofit Headcount also offered a raffle for registered voters to enter. Entries had to be received by late Monday night. Winners are to get tickets to a VIP experience at “RuPaul’s Drag Race Live” in Las Vegas. Headcount describes its mission as being “to use the power of music and popular culture to register voters and promote participation in democracy.”
However, there was little or no attention from Krasner or the legacy media to Obama’s or Headcount’s raffles.
Founded in July, Musk’s America PAC is also financing canvassing operations by awarding people interested in working on increasing voter registration and voter turnout at $30 per hour, with bonuses for exceptional performance. People could also receive $47 for each registered voter they refer that signs a petition pledging support for the first two constitutional amendments. The $47 figure was chosen as symbolic of former President Donald Trump’s bid to become the nation’s 47th president on Nov. 5, which Musk is supporting.
Both of America PAC’s programs were open only to registered voters in seven electoral swing states—Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. That appears to be an attempt by Musk to garner support for Trump in those swing states.
America PAC was created to support the “key values” of secure borders, sensible spending, safe cities, a fair justice system, free speech, and self-defense, according to its website.
During a hearing in Pennsylvania on Oct. 31, Judge Angelo Foglietta of the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas said he would put the Musk case on pause until a federal court decides to take up the case. But that appeared to have rendered the case a moot point, because—as the judge noted Monday—the promotion was scheduled to end on Election Day, and he allowed it to continue.