Musk $1M voter lottery paused after DOJ says it might violate federal law

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has warned Elon Musk’s pro-Trump super PAC that its daily $1 million giveaways to registered voters in swing states might violate federal law, according to several news outlets. 

The DOJ’s Public Integrity Section sent a letter to America PAC, noting that the sweepstakes could violate a federal law against paying people to register to vote, The Wall Street Journal reported. 

The super PAC did not announce a winner of the $1 million giveaway Wednesday.  

The sweepstakes, which launched Saturday, required participants to be registered to vote in one of seven swing states and have signed the PAC’s petition supporting free speech and the right to bear arms. 

The first three $1 million checks went to registered voters in Pennsylvania, where Musk has focused much of his energy on boosting former President Trump’s campaign in recent weeks.  

The DOJ declined to comment on the warning letter. America PAC did not respond to The Hill’s request for comment. 

The sweepstakes quickly drew scrutiny from campaign finance and legal experts, who questioned whether it violated election law. 

A group of nearly a dozen public officials, including several from Republican administrations, sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry (D) on Monday urging them to review the PAC’s payments. 

“We are aware of nothing like this in modern political history,” the officials wrote in the letter obtained by The Washington Post. 

They noted that the DOJ has long held that “anything having monetary value,” including a lottery, could be considered a prohibited payment for voter registration. 

“We recognize that they are framed as payments for signing a petition, or for referring voters who sign,” the letter reads. “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) also described the sweepstakes as “deeply concerning” and suggested that it “raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.” 

“I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race. How the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians,” Shapiro said Sunday on NBC News’s “Meet the Press.”