Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office File a lawsuit against Tesla CEO Elon Musk on his political action committee’s $1 million-a-day giveaway to registered voters in swing states, alleging it violates consumer protection laws and is intended to interfere in the upcoming presidential election.
Under the scheme, voters in swing states may be eligible to win a $1 million daily cash prize until Election Day if they sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution — freedom of speech and gun rights. Philadelphia District Attorney Lawrence Krasner called for an immediate injunction to prevent the US PAC and Musk from running what he called an “illegal lottery” and from engaging in deceptive practices in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The lawsuit, dated Monday, names both Musk and his US PAC as defendants.
Musk announced the $1 million prize at a campaign rally earlier this month. For Krasner, it was clear that the lottery was a lottery, which under Pennsylvania law must be regulated by the state. Because Musk’s donation was not approved by the Palestinian Authority, it was in violation of the law, according to legal documents.
“It is an indisputably illegal lottery,” the suit filed in the Philadelphia County Court of Common Pleas said.
The filing also alleges potential violations of consumer protection laws, citing the PAC’s use of “deceptive, ambiguous or misleading statements that create the potential for confusion or misunderstanding.” The DA’s office gave examples such as the lottery not publishing a full set of rules and information regarding consumer privacy protections. The lawsuit also accuses the political action committee of not selecting winners at random.
“The US PAC and Musk must be suspended, immediately, before the upcoming presidential election on November 5,” the lawsuit states. “This is because America PAC and Musk orchestrated their own illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election.”
America PAC did not respond to a request for comment.
At a Trump campaign event last week, Musk clarified that the award was not intended to be compensation for registering to vote. “It is actually a petition in support of the Constitution of the United States, and in particular, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms,” Musk said. He said.
Krasner said Monday that his office’s responsibility is to protect the public from illegal business practices and protect elections. “The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public harassment and unfair business practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner said in a statement. “The Democratic Alliance is also charged with protecting the public from interference in the integrity of the elections.”
Musk has been a strong supporter of former President Donald Trump in the ongoing election. The world’s richest man repeatedly campaigned with the former president, using his vast wealth to help with things like Grassroots organization and Buy advertising. Musk has at least given his American political action committee a shot $119 million Until early October.
This isn’t the first time the political action committee’s $1 million giveaway has caught the attention of government lawyers. Last week, the Justice Department sent Musk a letter warning him that the move could constitute a violation of federal laws.
The American political action committee also clashed with government officials North Carolina and MichiganTwo swing states. A CNBC The investigation concluded that she was improperly collecting voter information when she promised to register them to vote, but never did. Both states briefly investigated Musk’s political action committee, which then updated its website to address the issue.