Biden-Harris DOJ Acknowledges Request to Probe Elon Musk’s Pro-Trump Election Efforts

A group of former Republican Justice Department officials, along with others, sent a letter on Monday to Democratic Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging him to investigate billionaire Elon Musk’s monetary incentives for registered voters in crucial swing states.

Musk, through his political action committee America PAC, is offering a $1 million prize each day leading up to the election, chosen by lottery, to registered voters who sign a petition expressing support for the First and Second Amendments.

To qualify, petition signers must be registered voters residing in states such as Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina.

Musk delivered the first two $1 million checks at a Donald Trump rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on Sunday.

America PAC is also giving $47 to anyone who successfully encourages a registered voter to sign the petition.

On Monday, 11 former Republican officials sent a letter not only to Garland but also to Pennsylvania’s attorney general and the district attorneys across the state, noting, “We are aware of nothing like this in modern political history.”

They cited federal law, specifically 52 U.S.C. § 10307(c), which states that any individual who “knowingly or willfully... pays or offers to pay or accepts payment... for registration to vote” could face up to five years in prison. The same provision allows for fines up to $10,000 per violation.

The officials urged an investigation into whether these payments violate laws against paying for voter registration, though they acknowledged that Musk’s PAC frames the payments as incentives for signing a petition or referring voters. “But many of the payments are restricted to registered voters, so anyone who wishes to get paid must first register,” they argued.

Responding to the allegations, Musk wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “All you need to do is sign the @America petition in support of the Constitutional rights to free speech & bear arms to have a daily chance of winning $1,000,000! You can be from any or no political party and you don’t even have to vote.”

One of the prominent signers of the letter calling for an investigation is former GOP New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, who has publicly endorsed Democrat Kamala Harris for president. Other signatories include Donald Ayer, who served as deputy attorney general under President George H.W. Bush; Trevor Potter, former chairman of the Federal Election Commission; and Olivia Troye, a former special advisor to ex-Vice President Mike Pence.

CBS News congressional correspondent Scott MacFarlane reported on X that the DOJ acknowledged receiving the letter, though it has not confirmed whether an investigation has been launched.

Meanwhile, Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a former attorney general, expressed concern over Musk’s payments during an appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” stating that while Musk has a right to express his political views, “when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.”

Michael Kang, a professor specializing in election law at Northwestern University, weighed in on the matter, telling the Associated Press that the legality of these payments remains uncertain. “It’s not quite the same as paying someone to vote,” he explained, “but you’re getting close enough that we worry about its legality.”