· Speech
Musk announces $1 million-a-day giveaway to swing-state voters who sign America PAC petition
$1 million randomly to people who have signed the petition
What he said or did
At a Pennsylvania event, Musk said America PAC would award $1 million randomly to people who have signed the petition
every day until the election; eligibility was limited to registered voters in seven battleground states.
Background
The petition backed the First and Second Amendments. Election-law experts questioned whether the offer amounted to paying people to register to vote (CNN).
Official response
The Justice Department's public integrity section warned America PAC the giveaway may violate federal law, according to people briefed on the matter (CNN). Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner sued, calling it political marketing masquerading as a lottery
(Fox 29).
Fact-checks and findings
America PAC's own lawyer told the court There is no 'prize' to be won
and its treasurer testified recipients were researched before being selected, contradicting the randomly
description (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
What happened next
On 4 November 2024 Judge Angelo Foglietta declined to halt the giveaway after PAC representatives said winners were not chosen by chance but vetted to serve as paid spokespeople (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
Sources
- CNN (via ABC7)23 Oct 2024
- Fox 29 Philadelphia4 Nov 2024
- The Philadelphia Inquirer4 Nov 2024
This entry records what was publicly said or done, as reported by the sources above. Quotes are attributed to the person who made them.
