Elon Musk can keep giving $1m to voters, judge rules
Elon Musk’s political group, America PAC, can continue awarding $1 million (£722,000) daily to voters in swing states, as upheld by a judge’s recent ruling.
The giveaway is set to conclude on Tuesday, with the final recipient already chosen, according to a lawyer representing Musk, who spoke during a court hearing on Monday.
In an unexpected disclosure, the lawyer clarified that recipients of the prize are not selected randomly in a lottery, as widely assumed, but instead are chosen directly by the group.
Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner had filed a lawsuit, alleging this was an “illegal lottery,” after Musk announced plans to award the daily sum to a voter in a swing state each day leading up to Election Day.
Pennsylvania Judge Angelo Foglietta ruled in favor of the PAC just hours after the hearing but did not immediately provide a reason, as reported by the Associated Press.
“The $1 million recipients are not selected by chance,” stated Chris Gober, America PAC’s lawyer, during the hearing. “We already know who will be announced as the $1 million recipients for today and tomorrow.”
Reports indicate that the final award will go to a Michigan voter. On Monday, America PAC announced that a man named Joshua in Arizona was the latest recipient.
In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter and owned by Musk, America PAC stated: “Every day until Election Day, a person who signs up will be selected to receive $1 million as a spokesperson for America PAC.”
But when the world’s richest man unveiled the giveaway last month, many believed it was a random drawing for registered voters who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments of the US Constitution.
“We are going to be awarding $1m randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election,” Musk told a campaign event.
A few days later, the US justice department warned that the group could be breaking election laws, which forbid paying people to register to vote. Krasner’s office sued to stop it.
Mr Musk has been aggressively campaigning for Republican White House candidate Donald Trump in swing states across the country, and his committee has been pushing hard in Pennsylvania, where polls suggest Trump is in a tie with his Democratic rival, Vice-President Kamala Harris.
A lawyer in Krasner’s office told Reuters that Mr Gober’s comments in court were “a complete admission of liability”.
During the hearing, prosecutors played a video where Mr Musk, who is also the chief executive of SpaceX, said that “all we ask” is that the winners serve as spokespeople for the group, Reuters reported.
But Chris Young, the director of America PAC, said in court that the recipients are screened and must have values aligned with the group, US media reported.
Those who receive the money sign non-disclosure agreements that block them from publicly discussing the terms of their contracts, according to Reuters.
Mr Musk did not attend Monday’s hearing.
Also on Monday, Joe Rogan released an episode of his podcast featuring a nearly three-hour interview with Mr Musk.
In a post promoting the podcast on X, he said he would be endorsing former President Donald Trump.
“He [Musk] makes what I think is the most compelling case for Trump you’ll hear, and I agree with him every step of the way,” Rogan wrote.
