Tesla CEO Elon Musk's $1 million giveaway might violate federal law according to Justice Department

Elon Musk previously promised to give away $1 million a day to anyone who signed a petition to support the First and Second Amendment freedoms.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has recently stated that his super PAC would be giving away $1 million to a random person who signs a petition. This petition requires signatories to be registered voters. This situation has led the Justice Department to state that this giveaway might violate federal law.

On October 23, 2024, CNN reported that the Justice Department has warned Tesla CEO Elon Musk that his $1 million daily giveaway for signing a petition may violate federal law. This giveaway announcement was made during a Trump campaign event in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

“We want to try to get over a million, maybe 2 million voters in the battleground states to sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendment,” Elon stated at the event. “We are going to be awarding $1 million randomly to people who have signed the petition, every day, from now until the election.” The catch here is that only registered voters are allowed to sign the petition.

Elon Musk’s PAC has taken to social media to share videos of the various winners of the $1 million giveaway. However, as CNN points out, the recipients of the giveaway are stated to have earned the money. “Every day until Election Day, a person who signs will be selected to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC.” Eligibility is also limited to registered voters of Arizona, Michigan, Georgia, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin.

The giveaway, or earnings, will end up amounting to roughly $17 million dollars, assuming the last eligible day is November 4. Elon Musk’s net worth is currently $243.4 billion.

Elon Musk is seemingly no stranger to receiving warnings from various government bodies and regulatory boards. Previously, the multibillionaire was warned by the EU with legal action over disinformation on his social media platform. The United Auto Workers recently filed a labor lawsuit against both Elon Musk and Donald Trump regarding comments about firing workers that go on strike.

With the United States of America election coming up on November 5, 2024, all eyes will likely be on the Justice Department as it decides whether or not this giveaway/earnings violate federal law.