By james art Former Republican officials are pushing for Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate tech mogul Elon Musk over his promises to award cash prizes to state voters if they sign his political organization’s petition. So far, he has given out two checks for $1 million.
The letter, signed by former GOP lawmakers, advisers and Justice Department officials, claims Musk’s recent actions violate federal voting laws that prohibit paying people to register to vote. According to the letter received from The Washington Post.
“We know of nothing like it in modern political history,” the letter said. And the Justice Department has long explained that anything with monetary value can constitute a payment under this prohibition, including lottery odds.
“We urge you to investigate whether payments to America PAC are prohibited payments to voters
registration. We recognize that these are framed as payments for signing a petition or for
referring voters who sign. But many of the payments are limited to registered voters, so
anyone wishing to receive payment must first register,” the letter continued.
The letter also questions Musk’s true intent with the petition, which the group described as vague because it says little other than “I pledge my support for the First and Second Amendments.” Musk has been on the campaign trail with Trump in recent weeks.