Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner on Monday filed a lawsuit against conservative billionaire Elon Musk and his pro-Trump political action committee, America PAC, on Monday. The suit was filed in Philadelphia’s Common Pleas Court and alleges that the PAC is an illegal lottery that is operating in violation of Pennsylvania law.
“America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming Presidential Election on Nov. 5,” reads the suit, describing the PAC as an “illegal lottery scheme to influence voters” in the 2024 election.
In a statement, the district attorney’s office said the suit was filed as part of the office’s mandate to protect the public “from public nuisances and unfair trade practices” and from “interference with the integrity of elections.”
Krasner has been one of the most prominent figures in the movement to elect progressives to the position of district attorney across the country. His efforts to fight issues like police abuse have drawn the ire of conservatives, including the Trump-era Department of Justice.
At an Oct. 19 campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Musk announced that America PAC would hand out $1 million every day to a randomly selected voter signing the PAC’s petition in favor of the First and Second amendments.
Experts have opined that the offer may be illegal since it is against federal law to pay or receive payment for voting or registering to vote.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said he had concerns about the legality of the arrangement and said in a TV interview that the scheme was “something that law enforcement could take a look at” and that it raises “serious questions.”
On Oct. 21, Robert Heberle, head of the Department of Justice’s Election Crimes Branch, sent America PAC a letter warning it about possibly violating the law.
Historically, while cases have been successfully prosecuted around election schemes similar to what is being alleged in the case of America PAC, the slow pace of the justice system has led to convictions and fines long after the elections in question have concluded.
When it isn’t handing out money on legally shaky ground, the PAC has also been spending thousands for targeted advertising on X (formerly Twitter), the social media network that Musk purchased. X has lost multiple advertisers after it was reported that racist posts on the site were running with advertising next to them.
The PAC has similarly faced criticism from Republican operatives for its other operations. The Trump campaign has largely outsourced much of the work of canvassing on Trump’s behalf to America PAC, and reports have emerged of a lackluster effort in key swing states.
Musk appeared with Trump at his racism-filled rally at Madison Square Garden over the weekend, and has spent much of the 2024 campaign cycle promoting disinformation, racism, and misogyny. Like Trump, Musk has attacked immigrants and touted restrictive anti-immigrant policies.
But The Washington Post has reported that Musk, who moved from South Africa to the United States, benefitted from lax enforcement of immigration laws when he dropped out of school to start his first company.
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