Posted on: November 4, 2024, 06:49h.
Last updated on: November 4, 2024, 06:49h.
Elon Musk’s controversial scheme to hand out $1 million per day to a “lucky” registered voter in swing states in the run up to tomorrow’s election is “not a lottery.” That’s because the winners are not picked by chance, Musk’s lawyer, Chris Gober, told a judge in Pennsylvania Monday.
Instead, they are carefully selected for their “suitability” to represent Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC, America PAC.
The Pennsylvania District Attorney’s Office sued Musk and America PAC last week, accusing them of election fraud and of running an illegal lottery.
America PAC and Musk are lulling Philadelphia citizens – and others in the Commonwealth (and other swing states in the upcoming election) – to give up their personal identifying information and make a political pledge in exchange for the chance to win $1 million,” the lawsuit stated.
“That is a lottery,” it claimed. “And it is indisputably an unlawful lottery.”
‘No Prize to be Won’
Under federal law, it’s a crime punishable by up to five years in prison to “pay or offer to pay or accept payment either for registration to vote or for voting.”
But on Monday, Judge Angelo Foglietta refused to block the scheme, but not before Gober had spilled the beans on the workings of the so-called lottery.
“The $1 million recipients are not chosen by chance. We know exactly who will be announced as the $1 million recipient today and tomorrow,” Gober said, according to The Associated Press.
“There is no prize to be won, instead recipients must fulfill contractual obligations to serve as a spokesperson for the PAC,” he added, as reported by Reuters.
Gober also stated that the final prizes will go to registered voters in Arizona and Michigan and not to anyone in Pennsylvania, which is where the sweepstake began.
Suitability to represent America PAC is “often based on personal stories,” he added.
$16M Given Away
Musk had invited registered voters in key swing states to sign a petition in support of free speech and gun rights. One winner from the signatories would purportedly be drawn at random each day.
So far, America PAC has bestowed 16 checks worth $1 million each on registered voters, with four going to Pennsylvania residents.
On October 23, the Justice Department warned Musk and America PAC that they may be breaking the law, which led to a 24-hour hiatus in winner announcements.
The Pennsylvania DA’s Office sued October 28.
On Friday, Musk attempted to have the lawsuit moved to a federal court, but the request was denied.
