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    • Eau Claire, Wisconsin man wins million thanks to Elon Musk’s America PAC
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    Eau Claire, Wisconsin man wins $1 million thanks to Elon Musk’s America PAC

    Umito Posted on

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    An Eau Claire man won $1 million as part of tech billionaire Elon Musk’s daily giveaway to registered voters in swing states — a scheme that has come under scrutiny for ostensibly violating election laws federal.

    The competition, which started a little less than a week ago and ends on Election Dayis led by America PACElon Musk’s political action committee supporting former President Donald Trump. To participate, a person must live in an eligible swing state, sign a petition supporting the First and Second Amendments, and register to vote in the upcoming election.

    However, federal law which prohibits paying people to register to vote has sparked legal concerns about the program.

    On Thursday, the American PAC announced Brian Bauer of Eau Claire as the latest winner on X, accompanied by a photo of him holding an oversized check. Musk later posted on“Congratulations, Brian from Wisconsin!” Bauer could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Here’s what to know about Musk’s million-dollar gifts and why they’re facing legal scrutiny.

    Are Elon Musk’s Million Dollar Gifts Illegal?

    Legal experts have particularly emphasized section of the federal electoral law This is what Musk’s program seems to break: the electoral code says that it is illegal to “pay or offer to pay or accept payment either to register to vote or to vote”, punishable a maximum fine of $10,000 and imprisonment of up to five years.

    THE DOJ Election Crimes Handbook also clarifies that an offer or payment is considered illegal when it is intended to “induce or reward the voter for engaging in one or more acts necessary to vote.” This does not include providing services such as transportation to the polls or time off to help people who have already decided to vote.

    In response to accusations that he was paying to register Republican voters, Musk wrote on X that people entering the contest can be of any political affiliation and “don’t even have to vote.”

    However, America CAP explicitly supports Trump’s re-election campaign and to participate, people must sign the online petition pledging to support the First and Second Amendments. The Second Amendment, in particular, has become a political shorthand for anti-gun measures, supported by Trump and opposed by Vice President Kamala Harris.

    Is the Justice Department investigating the program?

    Shortly after Musk began the giveaways, the Justice Department reportedly sent a letter to America PAC warning that the program could violate federal election law. according to CNN. The DOJ did not provide additional comment, nor did Musk publicly respond to the letter.

    However, after the DOJ letter was announced on Wednesday, America PAC did not release a daily winner – but then resumed on Thursday by announcing two winners, including Bauer.

    Besides the Eau Claire winner, three voters from Pennsylvania, one from North Carolina and one from Michigan received $1 million. Only individuals residing in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan or North Carolina are eligible.

    News of the DOJ letter also came days after 11 former government officials wrote to Attorney General Merrick Garlandasking him to investigate Musk’s program, which they say violates federal law. The letter’s authors included former Republican lawmakers, Justice Department officials and advisers, who no longer work for the U.S. government.

    “We know of nothing like this in modern political history,” the former officials wrote.

    USA TODAY contributed to this report.

    Umito
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