The Justice Department reportedly warned Musk that his election petition-signing giveaway may be illegal.
Legal analysts are weighing in on the Department of Justice (DOJ) reportedly warning billionaire Elon Musk that his $1 million rewards to people who sign a petition amid this year’s presidential election may be illegal.
Musk, who has endorsed former President Donald Trump, has been randomly awarding a $1 million prize to one registered voter per day for signing a petition pledging their “support for the First and Second Amendments.”
The lottery-style giveaway is offered by Musk’s “America” super PAC and is only open to voters in the potentially crucial battleground states of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Arizona, Georgia and Nevada.
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Musk’s super PAC had been sent a letter from the DOJ’s public integrity section over the prize program potentially violating federal election law, which prohibits payments for voting and registering to vote.
Musk defended the giveaway, saying it does not require entries to be from voters of any particular political party and that “you don’t even have to vote”, although only registered swing state voters are eligible.
Dave Aronberg, state attorney for Palm Beach County, Florida, told Newsweek that Musk was operating in “a gray area of the law” via direct message on the billionaire’s social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
“It’s complicated”, Aronberg said.
