Former GOP lawmakers, officials urge Garland to investigate Musk
“The Justice Department confirmed that Attorney General Merrick Garland got the letter, but it declined to say whether it is investigating Musk or his PAC.
Former Republican lawmakers, advisers and Justice Department officials have called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate tech billionaire Elon Musk for awarding cash prizes to voters in swing states if they sign his political organization’s petition, according to a letter obtained by The Washington Post and sent to Garland on Monday.
The letter argues that the large prizes set up by Musk, a vocal supporter of Republican nominee Donald Trump, violate federal voting laws that prohibit paying people to register to vote.
Musk announced Saturday that his political group, America PAC, would use a lottery to award $1 million each day until the election to a registered voter who signs a petition saying they support free speech and the right to bear arms. Only voters registered in seven swing states — including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada — are eligible for the prizes.
The former officials who signed the letter to Garland and Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry argue that Musk’s petition is a disguised voter drive in which he is essentially bribing people to register.
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The Justice Department confirmed that Garland received the letter, but it declined to say whether it is investigating Musk or his PAC.
Musk has already awarded two voters in Pennsylvania the $1 million prize and is offering $47 to every registered swing-state voter someone recruits to sign the petition. The letter — which is signed by 11 former Republican officials who no longer work for the government — is also addressed to district attorneys in Pennsylvania.
“We are aware of nothing like this in modern political history,” the letter says of Musk’s offers. “We urge you to investigate whether America PAC’s payments are prohibited payments for voter registration. We recognize that they are framed as payments for signing a petition, or for referring voters who sign. But many of the payments are restricted to registered voters, so anyone who wishes to get paid must first register.”
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro (D) said on NBC News’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday that Musk should be investigated and that his ploy raises “serious questions.” Multiple legal experts also have expressed concern, although some say Musk’s focus on the First and Second amendments could keep him on the right side of the law.
Musk responded to the criticism online, saying voters who want to be eligible for the $1 million prizes do not need to register as Republicans or vote in the Nov. 5 election.
Among the people who signed the letter: Donald Ayer, deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush; Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission; Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey; and Olivia Troye, who was special adviser to Vice President Mike Pence.
The law they are accusing Musk of violating carries a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison.
The letter also questions the purpose of Musk’s petition, which it describes as vague, saying little beyond “I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments.”
“Moreover, while the usual purpose of a petition is to demonstrate public support for some proposition, America PAC’s petition does not appear to serve that purpose,” the letter reads. “And, critically, America PAC has not made the names or numbers of petition signers public — so the petition provides no demonstration of public support for even that statement.”
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