Billionaire Elon Musk dodged a legal roadblock on Thursday, the day in which he was supposed to attend a Philadelphia court hearing over a lawsuit against his America Political Action Committee's (PAC) $1 million-a-day voter lottery.
Musk filed a motion to move the case to federal court, placing a hold on the lawsuit and allowing his PAC to continue the giveaway supporting former President Donald Trump, as the case will likely not be resolved before the Nov. 5 election.
Despite questions over the lottery's legality, the PAC announced thirteen $1 million winners on Thursday. To win, participants need to be registered voters living in a swing state and sign a petition supporting "freedom of speech and the right to bear arms."
According to the PAC's website, voters who sign the petition receive $47, and they can receive additional money if they get other registered voters to sign. The offer increases to $100 for registered voters in Pennsylvania.
"Our goal is to get 1 million registered voters in swing states to sign in support of the Constitution," the group says. "This program is exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina."
Musk announced one of the winners via a video posted on his X account. North Carolina resident Joshua Mayo, appears to be sitting on a sofa with his family holding a $1 million check.
Joshua from North Carolina earned $1M after signing our petition in support of the Constitution
— America (@america) October 30, 2024
“I am a father of three beautiful children... I want them to grow up in an America where they don’t lose their basic rights and freedoms”
SIGN: https://t.co/TMeyWUhbrH pic.twitter.com/Ep1jVMi0G7
"I did everything Elon Musk asked, I signed the petition, I referred my friends and family, and because of that I earned one million dollars," Mayo said. The PAC lottery winner also thanked Musk for putting "himself out there" and risking "everything he's built" to "protect seemingly basic rights in America."
The lawsuit, filed by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, accuses Musk and his PAC of trying to "influence voters in the presidential election." According to CBS, the Justice Department sent a letter to the super PAC warning that its lottery could violate federal laws against paying voters days before the group received the lawsuit.
"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.
Legal experts interviewed by CBS claim the lottery "violates federal law pretty clearly." Multiple Republican and Democratic lawmakers also questioned the giveaway, as some say, it could potentially impact the presidential election in favor of Trump.
Apart from the sweepstakes, the PAC is actively recruiting registered voters to help increase voter turnout in swing states, paying over $30 an hour, with bonuses for performance.
Critics of Musk's involvement in Trump's presidential campaign question his tactics as the billionaire dodges legal bullets and uses widespread misinformation to persuade voters to vote for Trump. Election officials in key battleground states recently referred to him as a "huge problem" as they're struggling to combat falsehoods the SpaceX and Tesla founder is spreading on his X platform to millions of followers who idolize him.
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