2 weeks Ago By Housnia Shams
Concerned voters in Pennsylvania have called billionaire Elon Musk’s pledge to give away $1 million a day to voters in swing states who sign a petition “distasteful” and “disgusting.” The petition was launched earlier this month by Musk’s “America PAC,” a conservative super political-action committee supporting Donald Trump ’s presidential run - but Musk's move got a warning from the Justice Department. The tech billionaire said he would give $1 million a day to a registered voter who signed the pledge to support free speech and the right to bear arms.
He has also offered $100 to voters in Pennsylvania who sign the petition. Buzz Aldrin endorses Trump in lengthy statement calling for 'sober' leadership Musk’s daughter slams 'racist bigoted' Trump rally attendees including her dad But the giveaway has raised concerns among some election experts who say it is a violation of the law to link a cash handout to signing a petition that also requires a person to be registered to vote. Philadelphia local Sam Sander-Effron said he was worried the giveaway could exploit vulnerable people.
“I think it’s distasteful to be dangling money in the face of people who could use it, I think it’s kind of disgusting,” he said. “They could be people in a tough economic situation coerced to sign this petition to get a check..
.It’s going to get people to sign a petition that they might not otherwise agree with just for a chance at the sweepstakes. “He has a limited audience and he’s not trying to be accessible with who he’s targeting.
” Federal law bans anyone from paying a person to vote or register to vote. Musk has argued that he is not paying people to register and that the giveaway is aimed at encouraging petition signatures. “We want to try to get over a million, maybe two million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment,” Musk said while announcing the giveaway in Harrisburg.
But Philadelphia voter Claudia Aliff said the petition was questionable. “I think you’re incentivizing something that should not be incentivized in this way,” she said. DON'T MISS: Billionaires set to swing the US election as Trump and Harris rely on funding Joe Biden slams Musk for 'working in US illegally' North Korean troops enter Ukraine in 'dangerous expansion' of war, NATO says In the heart of Philadelphia’s Center City district, retail worker Marie agreed, saying the giveaway “fed into people’s insecurities.
” “It sounds like a pyramid scheme...
I think it’s a way of influencing people who may be undecided with basically a bribe,” she said. “Some people could say ‘oh I need that [money].’” On Tuesday, America PAC announced that it had mailed out more than 87,000 checks to people who secured signatures from registered voters, and another 100,000 checks would be sent out on Wednesday.
It came a day after Philadelphia’s District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit to stop Musk’s $1 million giveaways. Krasner’s office said that Musk and America PAC were "running an illegal lottery” in Pennsylvania. “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’s office said. The lawsuit doesn’t preclude potential criminal action. “This case is very simple because America PAC and Musk are indisputably violating Pennsylvania’s statutory prohibitions against illegal lotteries and deceiving consumers,” the suit says.
Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro said that the giveaway was “deeply concerning” and deserved legal scrutiny. Last week, the Justice Department warned America PAC that the sweepstakes may violate federal law, CNN reported. On Monday, President Joe Biden described the petition as “totally inappropriate.
” Musk has so far announced eight winners of the $1 million prize in key swing states. The Tesla CEO has given nearly $75 million in three months to America PAC, making him among the top Republican donors. According to the filing with the Federal Election Commission, Musk gave nearly $15 million to the super PAC in July, $30 million in August and $30 million in September.
The filing said he was the super PAC’s sole donor during that time. Earlier this month, Musk joined Trump at a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. In a speech at the rally, Musk described the Republican presidential nominee as the only candidate “to preserve democracy in America.
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