PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia judge held a brief hearing Thursday on state attorneys general’s attempt to halt Elon Musk’s $1 million-a-day sweepstakes in battleground states.
PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A Philadelphia judge held a brief hearing Thursday in state attorneys general’s attempt to close Elon Musk’s facility. $1 million-a-day sweepstakes in battle zones. The giveaways come from Musk’s political organization, which aims to boost Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
Lawyers for Musk filed a motion late Wednesday to move the case to federal court, saying it was a federal election issue, but that didn’t stop a state judge, Angelo Foglietta, from holding the hearing at City Hall .
After seeking comment from both sides, the judge put the state’s case on hold while Musk tries to have it argued in federal court. Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner hopes to argue there that the issues should be decided in state court.
Lawyers for Krasner said Musk and the America PAC have “brazenly” continued the lottery every day this week, including this morning, despite Krasner’s efforts to close it. The Democrat filed a complaint Monday to halt the America PAC sweepstakes, which will run through Election Day and be open to registered voters in battleground states who sign a petition in support of the Constitution.
Voting law experts have raised questions about whether this violates federal law that prohibits someone from paying others to vote. Musk has viewed the money as both a prize and income for his work as the group’s spokesman.
Krasner’s lawyers argue that Musk should be sanctioned for not attending the hearing. The judge reserved any decision on that until it is clear whether the case will proceed in federal or state court.
Attorney Matthew Haverstick, who represents both the billionaire and the political action committee, said the PAC, not Musk, is the only real defendant. He said Krasner named the tech mogul as a publicity stunt to draw attention to the case. He also said Musk was unable to “materialize” in Philadelphia in the 12 hours since the hearing was scheduled for Wednesday.
Krasner’s lawyers disputed that, saying the world’s richest man could land a SpaceX spaceship in the city to attend the hearing if he wanted.
They also questioned the legality of the lottery, noting that some of the winners are in electoral vote-rich Pennsylvania, and that Musk has not published any rules and regulations on the process.
Krasner has said he may still consider criminal charges because he is tasked with protecting the public from both illegal lotteries and “interference with the integrity of elections.”
Krasner said in the lawsuit that America PAC and Musk “unquestionably violate Pennsylvania’s statutory prohibitions against illegal lotteries and deceive consumers.”
Both Trump and Kamala Harris have visited the state repeatedly as they vie for Pennsylvania’s 19 electoral votes.
Musk, who founded SpaceX And Tesla and owns X, has gone all-in on Trump this election and says he thinks civilization is at stake if he loses. He is conducting much of the effort to get out the vote for Trump through his super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited sums of money.
He has committed more than $70 million to the super PAC to help Trump and other Republicans win in November.
Maryclaire Dale, The Associated Press