 

































Elon Musk’s super PAC awards $1 million prizes to 2 registered voters, despite DOJ warning | CNN Politics













































































CNN values your feedback




                                                        1. How relevant is this ad to you?
                                                






























                                                2. Did you encounter any technical issues?
                                        











                                                                        Video player was slow to load content
                                                                        



                                                                        Video content never loaded
                                                                        



                                                                        Ad froze or did not finish loading
                                                                        



                                                                        Video content did not start after ad
                                                                        



                                                                        Audio on ad was too loud
                                                                        



                                                                        Other issues
                                                                        





                                                                        Ad never loaded
                                                                        



                                                                        Ad prevented/slowed the page from loading
                                                                        



                                                                        Content moved around while ad loaded
                                                                        



                                                                        Ad was repetitive to ads I've seen previously
                                                                        



                                                                        Other issues
                                                                        











                                                        Cancel
                                                

                                                        Submit
                                                





Thank You!

                                        Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much
                                        appreciated.
                                

                                        Close
                                











Ad Feedback


















Close icon








Politics






                  
                  SCOTUS
                



                  
                  Congress
                



                  
                  Facts First
                



                  
                  2024 Elections
                




                      More
                    




                      SCOTUS
                    

                      Congress
                    

                      Facts First
                    

                      2024 Elections
                    








            Watch
          

            Listen
          

            Live TV
          




              Subscribe
            










        Sign in
      



      My Account




          Settings
        



          Newsletters
        



          Topics You Follow
          




          Sign Out
        




Your CNN account
Sign in to your CNN account


























        Sign in
      



      My Account




          Settings
        



          Newsletters
        



          Topics You Follow
          




          Sign Out
        




Your CNN account
Sign in to your CNN account






            Live TV
          

            Listen
          

            Watch
          




                Edition
              


                  US
                



                  International
                



                  Arabic
                



                  Español
                




                Edition





                  US
                



                  International
                



                  Arabic
                



                  Español
                









                  SCOTUS
                



                  Congress
                



                  Facts First
                



                  2024 Elections
                




Follow CNN Politics

























        US
      



            Crime + Justice
          





        World
      



            Africa
          



            Americas
          



            Asia
          



            Australia
          



            China
          



            Europe
          



            India
          



            Middle East
          



            United Kingdom
          





        Politics
      



            SCOTUS
          



            Congress
          



            Facts First
          



            2024 Elections
          





        Business
      



            Tech
          



            Media
          



            Calculators
          



            Videos
          





        Markets
      



            Pre-markets
          



            After-Hours
          



            Fear & Greed
          



            Investing
          



            Markets Now
          



            Nightcap
          





        Health
      



            Life, But Better
          



            Fitness
          



            Food
          



            Sleep
          



            Mindfulness
          



            Relationships
          





        Entertainment
      



            Movies
          



            Television
          



            Celebrity
          





        Tech
      



            Innovate
          



            Foreseeable Future
          



            Mission: Ahead
          



            Work Transformed
          



            Innovative Cities
          





        Style
      



            Arts
          



            Design
          



            Fashion
          



            Architecture
          



            Luxury
          



            Beauty
          



            Video
          





        Travel
      



            Destinations
          



            Food & Drink
          



            Stay
          



            Videos
          





        Sports
      



            Pro Football
          



            College Football
          



            Basketball
          



            Baseball
          



            Soccer
          



            Olympics
          



            Hockey
          





        Science
      



            Space
          



            Life
          



            Unearthed
          





        Climate
      



            Solutions
          



            Weather
          





        Weather
      



            Video
          



            Climate
          





        Ukraine-Russia War
      





        Israel-Hamas War
      





        Watch
      



            Live TV
          



            CNN Headlines
          



            CNN Shorts
          



            Shows A-Z
          



            CNN10
          



            CNN Max
          



            CNN TV Schedules
          



            FlashDocs
          





        Listen
      



            CNN 5 Things
          



            Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta
          



            The Assignment with Audie Cornish
          



            One Thing
          



            Tug of War
          



            CNN Political Briefing
          



            The Axe Files
          



            All There Is with Anderson Cooper
          



            All CNN Audio podcasts
          





        CNN Underscored
      



            Electronics
          



            Fashion
          



            Beauty
          



            Health & Fitness
          



            Home
          



            Reviews
          



            Deals
          



            Gifts
          



            Travel
          



            Outdoors
          



            Pets
          





        Games
      



            CNN Crossword
          



            Jumble Crossword
          



            Photo Shuffle
          



            Sudoblock
          



            Sudoku
          



            5 Things Quiz
          





        About CNN
      



            Subscribe
          



            Photos
          



            Investigations
          



            CNN Profiles
          



            CNN Leadership
          



            CNN Newsletters
          



            Work for CNN
          
















 







Ad Feedback





 





      Elon Musk’s super PAC awards $1 million prizes to 2 registered voters, despite DOJ warning
    











			By Marshall Cohen, CNN
		



                  3 minute read
                

  Updated
        12:54 PM EDT, Fri October 25, 2024
    





















            Link Copied!
        










Follow:


PACs





See your latest updates










 










Tesla CEO and X owner Elon Musk, who supports Republican presidential nominee former U.S. president Donald Trump, arrives to speak about voting during an America PAC Town Hall in Folsom, Pennsylvania, U.S., October 17, 2024.

Rachel Wisniewski/Reuters








CNN
         — 
    


            Elon Musk’s super PAC awarded two $1 million prizes to registered voters in Michigan and Wisconsin on Thursday, after being warned by the Justice Department that the payments might be illegal.
    

            These are the first giveaways by the pro-Donald Trump super PAC after news broke Wednesday that the Justice Department had sent a letter to the group, warning that its “daily” sweepstakes might violate federal election laws against paying for voter registrations.
    

            Musk, the CEO of Tesla and the richest man in the world, launched the sweepstakes on Saturday and his super PAC had named a winner each day – until Wednesday. No winner was announced then, but two winners were announced Thursday on X, the social media platform that Musk owns.
    

            The group has not provided any public explanation for the apparent one-day pause, and a spokesperson for the super PAC declined to comment on Thursday. It’s not clear when Musk received the Justice Department’s letter.
    

            A source familiar with the PAC’s efforts said Friday that “the program never stopped.”
    

            Asked about the lack of an announced winner for Wednesday, the source suggested that it was caused by logistical challenges and not due to the Justice Department’s  warning. The super PAC has been referring to the daily winners as “spokespeople” and has framed the $1 million prize money as a salary for their public pro-Trump messaging.
    

            “The spokespeople the PAC selects are real people with real lives and sometimes they are busy. They aren’t going to penalize anyone for not being home when they try to deliver a check,” the person familiar with the super PAC’s efforts said.
    

            Nonpartisan election law experts immediately raised concerns about the sweepstakes after Musk’s initial rollout on Saturday during a pro-Trump campaign event in Pennsylvania.
    

            To win the $1 million prize, people must sign a petition affirming their support for the rights to free speech and bear arms. However, the fine print on the super PAC’s website specifies that only registered voters in seven battleground states are eligible to sign the petition – which experts said is the crux of the potential illegality.
    

            Those controversial requirements have not been changed as of Thursday night and are still on the super PAC’s website.
    

            Federal law makes it a crime for anyone who “pays or offers to pay or accepts payment either for registration to vote or for voting.”
    

            Legal experts previously told CNN that they believe the main problem with Musk’s giveaway was making voter registration a prerequisite to entering the sweepstakes. The problem could be solved if the sweepstakes was offered to any American, regardless of registration status.
    

            In response to a post claiming Musk was “paying to register Republicans,” the tech magnate said winners “can be from any or no political party and you don’t even have to vote.” He has also criticized Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and former state attorney general, for questioning the legality of the sweepstakes.
    

Federal filings show Musk has given nearly $119 million – including about $44 million in October – to America PAC, the super PAC he helped form to reelect Trump. He has said he hopes the sweepstakes will boost registration among Trump voters. He recently hit the campaign trail in Pennsylvania, holding events advocating on Trump’s behalf, promoting his petition and spreading conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
    

            America PAC also received about $3 million in October from members of the influential DeVos family, including $250,000 from former Trump administration Education Secretary Betsy DeVos, who quit in the wake of the January 6, 2021, insurrection.
    

            These additional donations in October have enabled Musk’s group to continue spending tens of millions of dollars on canvassing and field operations in key battleground states, helping the Trump campaign keep pace with Kamala Harris’ record-breaking fundraising and massive campaign spending.
    

This story has been updated with additional reporting.


            CNN’s David Wright contributed to this report.
    




























Ad Feedback









Ad Feedback





















Ad Feedback












Ad Feedback















Ad Feedback

































        Subscribe
      










        Sign in
      



      My Account




          Settings
        



          Newsletters
        



          Topics You Follow
          




          Sign Out
        




Your CNN account
Sign in to your CNN account






        Live TV
      

        Listen
      

        Watch
      






        US
      



            Crime + Justice
          





        World
      



            Africa
          



            Americas
          



            Asia
          



            Australia
          



            China
          



            Europe
          



            India
          



            Middle East
          



            United Kingdom
          





        Politics
      



            SCOTUS
          



            Congress
          



            Facts First
          



            2024 Elections
          





        Business
      



            Tech
          



            Media
          



            Calculators
          



            Videos
          





        Markets
      



            Pre-markets
          



            After-Hours
          



            Fear & Greed
          



            Investing
          



            Markets Now
          



            Nightcap
          





        Health
      



            Life, But Better
          



            Fitness
          



            Food
          



            Sleep
          



            Mindfulness
          



            Relationships
          





        Entertainment
      



            Movies
          



            Television
          



            Celebrity
          





        Tech
      



            Innovate
          



            Foreseeable Future
          



            Mission: Ahead
          



            Work Transformed
          



            Innovative Cities
          





        Style
      



            Arts
          



            Design
          



            Fashion
          



            Architecture
          



            Luxury
          



            Beauty
          



            Video
          





        Travel
      



            Destinations
          



            Food & Drink
          



            Stay
          



            News
          



            Videos
          





        Sports
      



            Pro Football
          



            College Football
          



            Basketball
          



            Baseball
          



            Soccer
          



            Olympics
          



            Hockey
          





        Science
      



            Space
          



            Life
          



            Unearthed
          





        Climate
      



            Solutions
          



            Weather
          





        Weather
      



            Video
          



            Climate
          





        Ukraine-Russia War
      





        Israel-Hamas War
      





        Watch
      



            Live TV
          



            CNN Headlines
          



            CNN Shorts
          



            Shows A-Z
          



            CNN10
          



            CNN Max
          



            CNN TV Schedules
          



            FlashDocs
          





        Listen
      



            CNN 5 Things
          



            Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta
          



            The Assignment with Audie Cornish
          



            One Thing
          



            Tug of War
          



            CNN Political Briefing
          



            The Axe Files
          



            All There Is with Anderson Cooper
          



            All CNN Audio podcasts
          





        CNN Underscored
      



            Electronics
          



            Fashion
          



            Beauty
          



            Health & Fitness
          



            Home
          



            Reviews
          



            Deals
          



            Gifts
          



            Travel
          



            Outdoors
          



            Pets
          





        Games
      



            CNN Crossword
          



            Jumble Crossword
          



            Photo Shuffle
          



            Sudoblock
          



            Sudoku
          



            5 Things Quiz
          





        About CNN
      



            Subscribe
          



            Photos
          



            Investigations
          



            CNN Profiles
          



            CNN Leadership
          



            CNN Newsletters
          



            Work for CNN
          
















Politics





            Watch
          

            Listen
          

            Live TV
          


Follow CNN Politics
























            Subscribe
          










        Sign in
      



      My Account




          Settings
        



          Newsletters
        



          Topics You Follow
          




          Sign Out
        




Your CNN account
Sign in to your CNN account









          Terms of Use
        

          Privacy Policy
        



          Ad Choices
        

          Accessibility & CC
        

          About
        

          Subscribe
        

          Newsletters
        

          Transcripts
        

          Help Center
        

© 2025 Cable News Network. A Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All Rights Reserved.  CNN Sans ™ & © 2016 Cable News Network.










So the DOJ advised Musk not to do it and he did it two more times? My hope is after the election they will nail his ass.  If not, fuck it, I give up and am moving to a homemade island. You can all come with me if you’d like. Musk isn’t invited.