Washington (AFP) – Philadelphia’s chief prosecutor sued billionaire Elon Musk and his pro-Donald Trump political action committee on Monday to halt his $1 million giveaways to registered US voters in swing states. Musk stirred controversy after he announced the daily contest this month, prompting the Justice Department to warn that it may violate federal law which prohibits paying people to register to vote, according to reports.
The lawsuit against the SpaceX and Tesla CEO’s America PAC was filed in a Pennsylvania state court by district attorney Larry Krasner, a Democrat. “The Philadelphia district attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries,” Krasner said in a statement. “The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” he said.
Democratic President Joe Biden was asked by reporters about Musk’s lottery after voting in Delaware. “Tell him I registered, a million dollars!” Biden joked, before going on to say that he believed Musk’s sweepstakes is “totally inappropriate.”
Musk, 53, who also owns X, formerly Twitter, has thrown his millions, time and considerable influence into backing Republican presidential candidate Trump since endorsing him in July. Musk, the world’s richest man, has reportedly donated $118 million to his personal pro-Trump political action committee, an organization which collects funds for elections.
He has also appeared on stage with Trump at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania and hosted a series of town halls on his own in the battleground state, seen as critical in the November election. Musk, who previously supported Barack Obama but has become increasingly conservative in recent years, peppers his 202 million followers on X daily with messages championing Trump and denigrating his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris.
© 2024 AFP
