Musk lawyers claim $1M election lottery was actually payment for representing super PAC
Elon Musk's lawyers appeared in a Pennsylvania courtroom on Monday to defend him against claims that his $1 million voter lottery is illegal.
Elon Musk, the CEO of X, announced a $1 million daily giveaway to registered voters in swing states who signed a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments. However, legal experts warned that the scheme may violate federal laws prohibiting payment for voter registration. The DOJ subsequently warned Musk that the giveaway could be illegal.
According to CNN reporter Marshall Cohen, Musk's lawyers claimed in court that the money isn't actually a lottery and that the winners aren't being picked random, as he once said.
Instead, it's payment for people "chosen" to be spokespeople for his super PAC, they said.
"Winners are picked based on their 'suitability to serve' and their personal story, lawyer Chris Gober said," according to Cohen.
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Musk announced the funds as a "giveaway" and told an audience that would be given "randomly to people who signed the petition."
The Philadelphia District Attorney's office called this a "complete admission of liability," said the reporter. They say that Musk is running a "lottery" that is illegal under their state laws.
They also showed the video of Musk announcing allocating the donations "randomly" and "by chance."
The district attorney said Musk is running an illegal lottery under Pennsylvania gaming laws using words like this.