Elon Musk’s pro-Trump group does not choose the winners of its $1 million-a-day giveaway to registered voters at random, but instead picks people who would be good spokespeople for its agenda, a lawyer for the billionaire said on Monday.
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“There is no prize to be won, instead recipients must fulfill contractual obligations to serve as a spokesperson for the PAC,” Gober said in the hearing before Judge Angelo Foglietta, referring to Musk’s political action committee, known as America PAC.
Isn’t this also illegal? He promised consideration (e.g. an entry in a sweepstakes) in exchange for specific performance (signing a petition), and is now claiming that the consideration he promised was not given, after people had already performed in accordance with his stated requirements. How is this different than if I tell you I’ll give you a lottery ticket if you give me $1, then after receiving the dollar, I decline to give you the ticket?
For reference: https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/52/10307
©False information in registering or voting; penalties Whoever knowingly or willfully gives false information as to his name, address or period of residence in the voting district for the purpose of establishing his eligibility to register or vote, or conspires with another individual for the purpose of encouraging his false registration to vote or illegal voting, or pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than five years, or both: Provided, however, That this provision shall be applicable only to general, special, or primary elections held solely or in part for the purpose of selecting or electing any candidate for the office of President, Vice President, presidential elector, Member of the United States Senate, Member of the United States House of Representatives, Delegate from the District of Columbia, Guam, or the Virgin Islands, or Resident Commissioner of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
That’s why they are “employing” them as spokespeople. They are not paying them to register. They are paying them to represent the PAC, and the job is only available to registered voters in some states.
Still slimy and still questionably legal but not obviously in violation of that statute
pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting
When even the Supreme Court Justices do not have ethics requirements, this is a conplete legal dead-end. Nobody was ever offered anything to register or to vote. Requiring that people are registered to enter is scummy and questionably-ethical, absolutely, but there is no law that actually links these things together, and no judge will convict him of any crime for this.
Musk has done plenty of things that are clear campaign finance violations or election interference, focus on those things.
Lotteries are specifically called out as illegal when used to incentivize voting or voter registration. By making a lottery only for registered voters, he is violating that law. The petition is a smoke screen, but it doesn’t actually negate the fact that this is a lottery for registered voters.
That’s why they switched to saying they were sponsors, they were trying to avoid lottery regulations. Unfortunately for them, you can’t make it legal retroactively by changing your story.
Unfortunately for them, you can’t make it legal retroactively by changing your story.
gestures broadly at Trump’s entire presidency
Uh…wanna bet?
