Elon Musk has no shame in throwing money to get what he wants. Or at least, there is no problem with him making a huge commitment to it. During the 2024 election season, Musk promised to pay swing state voters if they signed a petition supporting his Trump PAC. But now, some signatory members say Musk has never actually spent money and they are suing him for millions.
Musk’s U.S. PAC promises that if ostensibly support the First and Second Amendments, they sign a petition that will sign a petition in registered swing state voters, thus starting with $47. He also offers a referral bonus if they have someone else’s signature. But a class action lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania says Musk “failed to pay the signatures and recommendations of the plaintiffs and class members in full.”
The three main plaintiffs in the case were living in Pennsylvania, Nevada and Georgia at the time. One has also served as the canvas of the US PAC in Michigan and Georgia. The plaintiffs said they had been linked with many other people who recommended voters signed the U.S. PAC petition, and they were equally frustrated because they did not receive full payments about their recommendations. “The group believes that payments for “more than 100 class members” in the lawsuit are “anticipated to exceed $5,000,000.”
This comes shortly after a Pennsylvania man filed his own lawsuit and requested to be deemed a class action lawsuit. Shannon Liss-Riordan, co-founder of Lichten & Liss-Riordan, a company representing the class action lawsuit, told CNBC: “The case is about a promise of destruction: Elon Musk promises supporters that they will be paid for signing supply and introducing others to do the same.”
“Our customers rely on this promise because they believe in Elon, but unfortunately, it’s not received.” “It seems that the promise has been broken to many others.”
During last year’s election season, Musk spent $277 million in support, a Republican candidate like Trump. According to CNBC, most of this money is filtered through US PAC, with Musk contributing $239 million. In October, Musk announced a daily gift of $1 million gift to registered voters in swing states, noting: “We want to try to get more than one million, about two million voters in the battlefield states to sign petitions in support of the First and Second Amendments.”
The giveaway caught the immediate attention of Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, saying, “When you start to flow this money into politics, I think it causes serious problems.” According to the Washington Post, the Justice Department warned Musk that his giveaway could be illegal. In addition, media reports said former Republican lawmakers, advisers and Justice Department officials urged Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate whether he is eligible for “banning voting payments.”
“We don’t realize this in modern political history,” they wrote in a letter. “We recognize that they are payments for voters who sign a petition or sign a signature. However, many payments are limited to registered voters, so anyone who wishes to be paid must register first.”
In a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission, Advocate Group citizens wrote that the purpose of the giveaway “seems to be to inspire voters to register and vote, while those who sympathize with Donald Trump’s campaigners in major swing countries”. Philadelphia District Attorney General Larry Krasner also filed a lawsuit to close what he called the “illegal lottery program.” But by then, the US PAC had re-formed the giveaway into the spokesperson’s payment. During the hearing, Musk’s attorney Chris Gober also testified that the recipients were “not chosen by chance”, while Chris Young, director of the PAC in the United States, said they were being scrutinized to “feel their personality and make sure they are the people who maintain values with the organization.”
Before the presidential election, a Pennsylvania judge ruled that the giveaway was A-Okay, setting a dangerous precedent. In March, Musk repurposed the strategy in Wisconsin during his state Supreme Court campaign, announcing plans to distribute $200 million Check in the event. The entrance is limited to those who have voted. At the time, Musk’s own chatbot Groke said: “Although it is intended to promote participation, it can be seen as election bribery.”
Although Wisconsin’s attorney general tried to stop Musk’s charm, he was allowed to continue. So you might be able to expect Musk to pull out this giveaway stunt again. Ironically, Musk also offered Wisconsin voters $100 to sign a petition against the “radical judge.” We will see their pockets perform throughout the year.
