A judge on Monday denied leftist Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s request to block billionaire Elon Musk’s America PAC from giving away $1 million to registered swing state voters.
Beginning on October 19, Musk’s pro-Trump political action committee began handing out a $1 million check every day to voters in swing states who signed a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. The final two winners are expected to be announced on Monday night in Arizona and on Tuesday in Michigan, the Associated Press reported.
The giveaways were challenged by Democrats, and Krasner called it a “scam,” arguing that it was “designed to actually influence a national election.” The Philadelphia DA also said that the America PAC giveaways are an illegal lottery that violate state law. Musk’s lawyer Chris Gober pushed back on that claim in court, arguing that “the $1 million recipients are not chosen by chance.”
“We know exactly who will be announced as the $1 million recipient today and tomorrow,” Gober added, claiming that the recipients “are selected based on their suitability to serve as spokesperson for America PAC.”
The director of America PAC, Chris Young, testified that the winners of the $1 million giveaways are vetted before the announcement so the PAC can “feel out their personality, (and) make sure they were someone whose values aligned.”
Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta rejected Krasner’s argument that the giveaways were an illegal lottery, according to CNN.
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Musk announced the $1 million giveaways at a town hall event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, last month, telling the crowd, “So, I have a surprise for you, which is that we’re going to be awarding a million dollars randomly to people who have signed the petition every day from now until the election.”
While testifying, Young said that “randomly” is not “the word I would have selected” to describe the giveaways, the AP reported. Musk’s lawyers argued that the petition is “core political speech” as it’s signed in support of the Constitution. They also said that Krasner’s attempt to block the giveaways was moot since there would be no more winners from Pennsylvania.
