Retiring President Biden ripped billionaire Elon Musk Monday for funding a $1 million giveaway to swing-state voters — as Democratic Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit attempting to stop the raffle.
“I think it’s totally inappropriate,” Biden, 81, said after voting early in Wilmington, Del.
Krasner filed the first known lawsuit earlier in the day attempting to halt the novel voter engagement initiative by Musk-backed America PAC.
“America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming Presidential Election on Nov. 5,” the progressive DA’s lawsuit says, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
“That is because America PAC and Musk hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election,” the suit says of the group and its Tesla billionaire backer — a major supporter of GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump.
The lawsuit was filed in the Philadelphia Common Pleas Court rather than in federal court, meaning that even if there is a decision before the election, the ruling would not apply outside of Pennsylvania.
Krasner’s lawsuit is believed to be the first targeting the deep-pocketed stunt, which is awarding the cash to registered voters in seven swing states who sign an online petition expressing support for the Constitution’s protection of the freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.
Musk, 53, has shocked Democrats with the unusual payouts, which are designed to excite conservatives in the states where polling is essentially tied between Trump and his foe, Dem Vice President Kamala Harris.
Trump has pledged to put Musk in charge of rooting out wasteful federal spending if the former prez retakes the White House.
The Biden-Harris Justice Department reportedly warned Musk last week that his daily million-dollar raffle could violate a federal law that prohibits paying people to register to vote, but the feds have not taken any action to stop it.
Musk’s America PAC features an array of financial inducements to rev up swing voters in the key states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
The top prize of $1 million has gone already to nine people — four in Pennsylvania and one apiece in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina and Wisconsin, according to America PAC’s website.
The group intends to announce a further winner each day ahead of the Nov. 5 election.
The Musk-financed initiative also is offering $47 for petition-signers who refer additional registered voters to sign the petition, plus a $100 bonus for signers who are from Pennsylvania.
People who sign the document must provide their contact information, potentially allowing it to be used for political purposes, such as ensuring they vote.
America PAC also has been supported by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale and the Winklevoss twins, the Wall Street Journal reported in July.
