By james art 
By Steve Neeling
Former Republican lawmakers, advisers and Justice Department officials are pushing for Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate tech billionaire Elon Musk for offering large cash rewards to state voters if they sign a political petition.
The request made in a letter received from The Washington Post and sent to Garland on Monday, argued that Musk’s actions could violate federal voting laws that prohibit offering financial incentives to register voters.
Musk, a prominent supporter of Republican candidate Donald Trump, announced Saturday that his political group America PAC will give away $1 million each day in a raffle leading up to the election. The awards will go to registered voters in seven key states, including Pennsylvania, Georgia and Nevada, who sign a petition in support of free speech and the right to bear arms.
The letter, signed by 11 former Republican officials, alleges that Musk’s petition is a thinly veiled voter registration drive that amounts to bribing individuals to register to vote. It was also sent to Pennsylvania Attorney General Michelle Henry and Pennsylvania district attorneys.
“We know of nothing like it in modern political history,” the letter said. “We urge you to investigate whether payments to America PAC are prohibited voter registration payments. 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 who wants to get paid must first register.
Musk has already given out two $1 million bounties to voters in Pennsylvania and is offering $47 to every registered voter in a swing state who hires someone to sign the petition.
The Justice Department confirmed receipt of the letter but declined to comment on whether Musk or his PAC were under investigation.