Elon Musk has rejects claims raised in court that his $1,000,000 pre-election giveaway to voters was an 'illegal lottery', instead insisting that nothing was left to chance as individuals gave their data over to the America PAC.
It was clear that Elon Musk was closely involved with Republican candidate Donald Trump in the leadup to the 2024 US election, and played a key role in the now-president securing victory in early November.
It has been alleged that Musk used his ownership of social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to leverage support for Trump, alongside his generally wide-reaching power as the richest man in the world.
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One thing that many argue played a significant role, however, was $1,000,000 'giveaways' in seven key battleground swing states that led to many somewhat unexpected Trump victories, and one federal court has argued that these actions violated law.
Organized in Austin, Texas, federal prosecution argues that Musk's giveaways in conjunction with the America PAC violated Texas law regarding deceptive trade practices, as reported by the Economic Times.
The giveaways were orchestrated in conjunction with a petition, as registered voters were urged to promote 'free speech and the right to bear arms' in exchange for a potential $1,000,000 cash prize.
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Deception in question wasn't that the money was never given out, as at least two voters were awarded the staggering prize, but instead that the organization was an illegal "lottery" with a 'prize' to be won.
Musk has pushed back against these claims, arguing: "Make no mistake: An eligible voter's opportunity to earn is not the same thing as a chance to win," adding that chance "was not involved here."
How much of that you believe is up to you, but the argument has previously not held up in courts as a Philadelphia judge denied similar claims after the prosecution failed to illustrate concretely that the petition was indeed a 'lottery'.
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The most recent lawsuit, filed initially on election day, seeks upwards of $5,000,000 across all individuals who signed the petition, arguing on top of this that the data collected from the process of signing - including names, address, and phone numbers - could be sold on by Musk and the America PAC.
Musk is also facing multiple lawsuits relating to his role as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), in which it is alleged that the private advisory board is not following regulations expected of its kind.
He has similarly pushed back against these claimed, in this case laughing them off as if they were nothing.