The News
Billionaire Tesla founder Elon Musk was sued Tuesday over claims that his $1 million-a-day giveaway to registered voters in swing states was a fraud.
An Arizona voter filed a proposed class-action case against the billionaire, alleging Musk falsely said his pro-Trump America PAC would choose winners randomly, when the selections were predetermined.
The complaint cites comments made by a Republican lawyer Monday in a hearing in a separate Philadelphia case against the PAC. The lawyer, whom CNBC identified as the PAC’s former treasurer, claimed the “$1 million recipients are not chosen by chance,” contradicting Musk’s claim that the funds were awarded randomly. “We know exactly who will be announced as the $1 million recipient today and tomorrow,” he said.
America PAC’s sweepstakes were open only to registered voters in key swing states, including Arizona, who have signed an America PAC petition in support of free speech and gun rights. Legal experts are divided over whether the giveaway is illegal or if it could fall into a gray area of federal law in regard to “vote-buying.”
Musk and his lawyers have yet to comment on the lawsuit.