Billionaire Elon Musk’s unprecedented efforts to bolster the conservative candidate in next week’s hotly contested Wisconsin Supreme Court race have run into legal hot water amid accusations that he had broken state election law
Billionaire Elon Musk’s unprecedented efforts to bolster the conservative candidate in next week’s hotly contested Wisconsin Supreme Court race ran into legal hot water Friday amid accusations that he had broken state election law.
Musk announced late Thursday that he planned to hold a Sunday rally in Wisconsin, where he said he would “personally hand over” $1 million checks to two voters who had already cast their ballots “in appreciation for you taking the time to vote.”
Wisconsin state law expressly prohibits giving anything of value in exchange for voting — drawing a slew of complaints, including from Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney, who sued Friday afternoon to block Musk from handing out the checks.
Amid the backlash, Musk deleted the post and later posted a revised offer.
“To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges. I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition,” he wrote.
Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk’s political action committee, declined to comment on what had prompted the change.
Musk’s initial post drew a flurry of accusations just days before Tuesday’s election, which will determine the ideological makeup of the highest court in the perennial presidential battleground.
Attorney General Josh Kaul on Friday asked the circuit court to issue an emergency injunction to stop Musk from making the payments, calling them a “blatant attempt to violate” Wisconsin’s anti-bribery statute.
They also took issue with Musk’s political action committee, America First, offering to pay $100 to any registered Wisconsin voter who signed a petition voicing opposition to “activist judges” — or forwarded it to someone who did. Earlier this week, the group announced that it had awarded $1 million to a Green Bay man to serve as a “spokesperson for signing our Petition In Opposition To Activist Judges.”
The recipient, Scott Ainsworth, has donated to Republicans and made social media posts supporting President Donald Trump and his agenda.
A bipartisan coalition of government watchdog groups and former officeholders, along with a liberal Madison law firm, asked the Wisconsin attorney general and the Milwaukee County district attorney to investigate the $1 million payment and $100 signing payments.
Wisconsin law makes it a felony to offer, give, lend or promise to lend or give anything of value to induce a voter to cast a ballot or not vote.
