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Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has filed a lawsuit against billionaire Elon Musk and his pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC, over their daily $1 million giveaways to registered voters in swing states. The lawsuit alleges that Musk and his PAC are running an illegal lottery in Pennsylvania, one of the key swing states in the upcoming US presidential election.
The giveaways, which began earlier this month, involve handing out $1 million checks each day to registered voters in one of seven swing states, including Pennsylvania. The first three winners were from Pennsylvania, where Musk has been actively supporting former President Trump. Despite warnings from the Department of Justice that the giveaways could violate federal law against paying people to register to vote, the super PAC has continued with the $1 million giveaways. So far, nine checks have been handed out to voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada, and Arizona.
According to The Hill, Krasner stated, "The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections."
The lawsuit specifies that at a campaign rally on October 19, Musk announced that registered voters who turned over personal identifying information and signed a petition pledging "support for the constitution" would be eligible to be selected randomly for a $1 million prize. The suit argues that this constitutes an unlawful lottery under Pennsylvania law, which requires all lotteries in the state to be regulated by the state.