DOJ Public Integrity Section warns Elon Musk: report
The Public Integrity Section of the U.S. Dept. of Justice has reportedly issued a letter warning Elon Musk’s Super PAC that his $1 million a day sweepstakes giveaway to certain voters may violate federal law.
“Federal law bars paying people to register to vote,” CNN reports. “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.”
Here is Musk making the announcement last week.
How’s this legal?
Elon Musk just announced that his Super PAC will be awarding a million dollars every day until the election to registered Pennsylvania voters who signed his Super PAC petition. pic.twitter.com/ZOX0IYvnvH
— Republicans against Trump (@RpsAgainstTrump) October 20, 2024
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“While it’s unclear whether the department has determined Musk’s giveaway is outright illegal,” ABC News added, “experts have questioned whether the lottery violates federal law that prohibits individuals from paying people to register to vote.”
Professor of law and former U.S. Attorney Joyce Vance weighed in on the news.
“DOJ policy prohibits confirming or denying a criminal investigation is underway except in rare circumstances, not applicable here. But hard to believe they wouldn’t be taking a look at Musk’s million dollar payments to potential voters,” she wrote.
Professor of law Rick Hasen, a recognized expert in election law and campaign finance, on Saturday noted, “Making a million dollar prize contingent on registering to vote is illegal. See 52 USC 10307(c) https://govinfo.gov/content/pkg/USCODE-2023-title52/pdf/USCODE-2023-title52-subtitleI-chap103-sec10307.pdf”
“The DOJ election crimes manual specifically mentions lotteries for voters as prohibited vote buying under that statute. https://justice.gov/criminal/file/1029066/dl. See pages 44-45,” he added.
At his Election Law Blog, Hasen went even further, calling it “clearly illegal.”
One has to be a registered voter in a swing state to sign the petition and be a petition signer to be eligible for the million dollar prize. pic.twitter.com/F8cijRjMGZ
— Rick Hasen (@rickhasen) October 20, 2024
Watch the video above or at this link.
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