According to media reports, tech billionaire and Trump supporter Elon Musk received a warning from the US Department of Justice about his millions in gifts to voters. Musk’s organization “America PAC” was informed that the action may violate US electoral law, TV channels CNN and NBC reported, citing informed people. The Justice Department declined to comment on the information when requested.
Musk announced at the weekend that he would give one million dollars (almost 929,000 euros) every day until the election to a registered voter in particularly hotly contested US states. The campaign is aimed at registered voters who sign a conservative petition. It’s about “freedom of expression and the right to bear arms” – it was launched by Musk’s organization “America PAC”. This supports the election campaign of the Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.
US election law prohibits paying citizens money to vote or register to vote. According to Musk, the million-dollar gift is intended to bring more attention to the petition. Critics of the campaign, such as law professor Rick Hasen from the University of California at Los Angeles, see a problem in the fact that only registered voters can take part. This could be interpreted as meaning that the gift of money creates an incentive to register, argued Hasen. On Monday, a group of former prosecutors and government officials called on the Justice Department to investigate the operation, according to The Washington Post.
Musk handed over the first million-dollar checks over the weekend in highly competitive Pennsylvania. The US state could be particularly important because it has 19 electors. To win the presidential election you need a total of 270 electoral votes.
Musk has been supporting Trump financially for a long time with donations worth millions. Trump recently indicated that the head of the electric car manufacturer Tesla could be put at the head of a committee to review US finances if he wins the election. Musk should cut government spending, Trump said. The billionaire often complains about authorities’ excessive demands on Tesla and the space company SpaceX, which he also runs. His Tesla shares in particular make Musk the richest person in the world with an estimated fortune of around $240 billion.
