On Monday, Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner (D) sued Elon Musk and America PAC, the billionaire’s pro-Trump super PAC, over their daily $1 million giveaways to registered swing state voters.
“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,” Krasner said in a statement.
“Today, the Philadelphia DA filed a civil legal action under Pennsylvania law,” he continued. “This civil action neither precludes nor requires potential future action under Pennsylvania criminal law. The Philadelphia DA will litigate the factual allegations and legal arguments that underlie today’s filing on the record and in court.”
America PAC launched the giveaways earlier this month, handing out $1 million checks each day to registered voters in one of seven swing states, including Pennsylvania.
The first three winners were from the Keystone State.
The sweepstakes have drawn scrutiny, including from the Department of Justice (DOJ), which sent America PAC a letter last week warning that the giveaways could violate a federal law. (RELATED: DOJ Issues Warning To Elon Musk Over $1 Million Prize Campaign To Registered Voters)
Musk’s initial promise to pay prizes to registered voters immediately raised concerns from election law experts and some state officials who questioned whether it ran afoul of the law.
Federal law bars paying people to register to vote. The language of the petition currently promises $1 million prizes to people chosen at random for signing a petition in support of First and Second Amendment freedoms. But to sign the petition, you must be registered to vote in specific states.
Despite the scrutiny, the super PAC has continued with the $1 million giveaways despite the DOJ’s warning. It has now handed out nine checks to voters in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Michigan, Wisconsin, Nevada and Arizona.
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Noteworthy is that nobody has cited a specific law that was broken. Not the DOJ, PA Attorney General’ Office, or the unnamed ‘experts’. Also, neither the DOJ or any state have named or filed a crime. This nebulous civil filing looks like just another attempt at illegal law-fare.