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Elon Musk’s promise at Trump rally draws legal attention

Vaseline October 21, 2024

Jarrett Renshaw
| Reuters

Billionaire Elon Musk promised on Saturday to give away $1 million every day until the November elections to someone who signs his online petition. The first prize will be awarded at a PAC event in support of Republican Donald Trump, raising questions about the legality of the payments.

Musk gave a $1 million check to an attendee at his America PAC event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, aimed at rallying supporters behind presidential candidate Trump. According to event staff, the winner was a man named John Dreher.

“John had no idea, by the way. So anyway, you’re welcome,” the Tesla founder said as he presented Dreher with the check.

The money is the latest example of Musk using his extraordinary wealth to influence the closely contested presidential race between Trump and his Democratic rival Vice President Kamala Harris.

Musk founded America PAC, a political action organization he founded to support Trump’s presidential campaign. The group helps mobilize and register voters in battleground states, but there are signs that it is struggling to achieve its goals.

‘Deeply worrying’

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press” that Musk’s plan to give money to registered voters in Pennsylvania is “very concerning” and “it’s something law enforcement could look into.”

There were many questions about the legality of these cash payments Saturday evening, as election law experts pointed to several provisions in federal law that prohibited making cash payments to voters.

It is a federal crime to pay people with the intent to induce or reward them to vote or register, a crime punishable by prison time. The ban covers not only monetary expenditures but also anything of monetary value, such as liquor or lottery odds, says a Justice Department handbook on election crimes.

The Harrisburg event was the third in as many days in Pennsylvania, where Musk is painting the November election in stark terms, encouraging supporters to vote early and urging others to do the same.

He said Saturday that if Harris wins, it will be “the last election.”

He also said the two assassination attempts on Trump prove he is ruffling feathers and upending the status quo.

The petition Musk is asking people to sign reads: “The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I pledge my support for the First and Second Amendments.”

Attendees of Saturday’s event were required to sign the petition, which will allow America PAC to collect contact information for more potential voters that it can use to get to the polls for Trump.

Musk, ranked by Forbes as the world’s richest person, has provided at least $75 million to America PAC so far, according to federal disclosures, making the group a crucial part of Trump’s effort to win back the White House.

The entrepreneur behind car manufacturer Tesla and rocket and satellite company SpaceX increasingly supports Republican causes and became an outspoken supporter of Trump this year.

Trump, for his part, has said that if elected he would appoint Musk to head a government efficiency commission.

(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Tom Hogue and Aurora Ellis)