The Justice Department warned Elon Musk that his $1 million giveaway could come with a prison sentenceāand it appears heās actually paying attention.
After receiving a warning from the Justice Department, Elon Musk has stopped his $1 million giveaway to swing voters from his super PAC.
The tech CEO pledgedĀ SaturdayĀ to give away the hefty sum each day to one registered voter in a battleground state who signed America PACās proāFirst and Second Amendment pledge. Every day since then, a winner has beenĀ announced: three Pennsylvania voters and one North Carolina voter.
However, the move immediately raised legal questions, as itās a federal crime to pay someone to register to vote, punishable by a fine of $10,000, five years in prison, or both. Experts were divided, with Muskās plan falling into a legalĀ gray areaĀ at best. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called the move ādeeply concerning,ā and author Stephen King accused Musk of āpaying to register Republicans.ā
Bingo, the wording of what heās giving it away for has nothing to do with registering to vote. It is about signing his PAC if you are already registered to vote. If you yourself determine that voting would be a reason to register and you also sign his PAC well, then you get $1 million. Thereās nothing illegal about that and Elon only got a warning, if it was something illegal, he wouldāve been arrested for already doing it before, they issued that āwarningā.
From what Iāve been reading, itās so close to vote buying and similar crimes itās a legal grey area at best.