close
close

Le-verdict

News with a Local Lens

    • Elon Musk and his PAC sued by Philadelphia DA over million dollar gift
    minsta

    Elon Musk and his PAC sued by Philadelphia DA over million dollar gift

    Pabio Posted on

    play

    Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner Sued Elon Musk and his political action committee Monday to prevent them from donate 1 million dollars every day to a registered voter in a swing state who signs their petition.

    “The America PAC and Musk are urging citizens of Philadelphia – and other members of the Commonwealth (and other swing states in upcoming elections) – to give up their personally identifiable information and make a political commitment in exchange of a chance to win $1 million”, according to legal complaint.

    “The US PAC and Musk Lottery is clearly not a legal lottery,” the lawsuit states.

    The lottery violates Pennsylvania law requiring all lotteries in the state to be regulated by the government, according to the complaint. It would also violate Pennsylvania consumer protection laws because Musk and his America PAC “failed to publish a comprehensive set of lottery rules or show how they protect the privacy of participants’ personal information.”

    Musk and the PAC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

    The winners are not random?

    Petitioners pledge support for the First and Second Amendments, which address constitutional rights to speech, religion and guns.

    The lawsuit accuses Musk of falsely claiming that the winner was selected at random, stating that “several selected winners are individuals who showed up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.”

    Musk publicly supports former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee.

    Musk and the PAC also promise to pay $100 to registered voters who sign the petition, but the DA’s office believes they have not made those payments, according to the lawsuit.

    What is true? What is wrong? Register for USA TODAY’s Checking the Facts newsletter for all the answers.

    Warning from the Department of Justice

    The US Department of Justice has already sent the PAC a warning lettersaying the gift could violate federal election law, according to a Wednesday CNN report.

    Federal law prohibits paying people to register to vote, and some legal experts say the gift could violate that law because one must be registered to sign the petition.

    Musk did not seem perturbed by this warning reported last week. Although the PAC did not announce a winner on Wednesday, it announced two winners on Thursday.

    Krasner is asking the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas for an order that would prohibit Musk and his PAC from continuing to engage in “any unfair or deceptive acts or practices in connection with their lottery.”

    LEAVE A RESPONSE

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Pabio
    View all posts

    You Might Also Like