The Justice Department warned Elon Musk that his $1 million giveaway could come with a prison sentence—and it appears he’s actually paying attention.

After receiving a warning from the Justice Department, Elon Musk has stopped his $1 million giveaway to swing voters from his super PAC.

The tech CEO pledged Saturday to give away the hefty sum each day to one registered voter in a battleground state who signed America PAC’s pro–First and Second Amendment pledge. Every day since then, a winner has been announced: three Pennsylvania voters and one North Carolina voter.

However, the move immediately raised legal questions, as it’s a federal crime to pay someone to register to vote, punishable by a fine of $10,000, five years in prison, or both. Experts were divided, with Musk’s plan falling into a legal gray area at best. Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro called the move “deeply concerning,” and author Stephen King accused Musk of “paying to register Republicans.”

  • daikiki@lemmy.world
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    9 hours ago

    I don’t want to rock the boat or anything, but does anybody else think that maybe we need just a tiny bit of judicial reform? It seems to me like there’s an awful lot of people doing an awful lot of criming and our judicial system is apparently not that interested about stopping them until after the next election. And there’s always a next election.

    So far.

    • EvilBit@lemmy.world
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      8 hours ago
      1. Try crime
      2. Benefit from crime
      3. Receive stern letter
      4. Pause crime
      5. Enjoy benefits from period of crime
      6. Repeat
    • TrippaSnippa
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      9 hours ago

      I’m starting to think that money in politics is a problem…

      • SoylentBlake
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        7 hours ago

        I’m considering running for pres next cycle on a “I just want new fucking problems” platform, whereby upon being sworn in ill immediately send a stack of bills to Congress to pass, and once done, ill resign.

        I want to turn the cycle into a refutation of the never changing problems. I’ll push the politically unpopular, cuz I don’t give a shit and I don’t want to be there anyways, I simply want new fucking problems other than the same ones we’ve had, and can never make headway on, for at least the last 45 years.

    • Hideakikarate@sh.itjust.works
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      9 hours ago

      What chaps my hide is that this is just a warning and not outright a clear case of election interference. I’m tired of warnings instead of judgments. Less likely to see these stories if people actually faced consequences for their actions.

    • ravhall@discuss.online
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      9 hours ago

      If by reform you mean we need to just get rid of people who are too wealthy to get away with crime, then yes… Any measure to accomplish this is acceptable by me