Left: Entrepreneur Elon Musk cheers for former president Donald J. Trump at Trump’s rally at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 (Angelina Katsanis/POLITICO via AP Images). Right: Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner takes part in a news conference in Philadelphia, Monday, March 11, 2024 (AP Photo/Matt Rourke).
Philadelphia’s progressive district attorney in a civil lawsuit has asked a state court to put an immediate stop to the $1 million daily lottery that Elon Musk’s pro-Donald Trump America PAC has dangled to registered voters who sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments, a matter of days after the U.S. Department of Justice reportedly said the practice could be illegal and the cash giveaways in swing states continued anyway.
Philly DA Larry Krasner (D) filed suit Monday in the Court of Common Pleas to enjoin America PAC’s lottery. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that the court documents said “America PAC and Musk must be stopped, immediately, before the upcoming Presidential Election on Nov. 5.”
“That is because America PAC and Musk hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election,” the DA reportedly asserted.
The suit came days after the DOJ warned Musk’s America PAC that the lottery may be in violation of the law.
That warning came after the DOJ received complaints offering the same conclusion: that “payments for signing a petition, or for referring voters who sign” could be illegal in a scenario where someone who “wishes to get paid” then registers to vote, since being a registered voter is what makes one eligible for those payments — including the $1 million lottery.
After the warning letter, Musk reportedly stated that “this is not a petition to vote for or register for anyone,” but rather is a “petition in support of the Constitution of the United States, and in particular, freedom of speech and the right to bear arms.”
But Krasner has reportedly countered that only the state of Pennsylvania can run a lottery. He reportedly questioned as well whether the winners are really chosen at “random.”
“[T]hat appears to be false,” the lawsuit reportedly said. “Multiple winners that have been selected are individuals who have shown up at Trump rallies in Pennsylvania.”
Krasner confirmed the existence of the lawsuit in a Monday statement on his office’s website.
“The Philadelphia District Attorney is charged with protecting the public from public nuisances and unfair trade practices, including illegal lotteries. The DA is also charged with protecting the public from interference with the integrity of elections,” the statement said. “Today, the Philadelphia DA filed a civil legal action under Pennsylvania law. This civil action neither precludes nor requires potential future action under Pennsylvania criminal law.”
“The Philadelphia DA will litigate the factual allegations and legal arguments that underlie today’s filing on the record and in court,” the statement continued.
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