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- Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaway to registered voters has raised legal questions.
- The Department of Justice reportedly warned Musk about it already.
- Now, two Democratic senators are urging the DOJ launch a full investigation.
Two Democratic members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are calling on the Department of Justice to launch an investigation into Elon Musk.
It comes after Musk, the richest man in the world, began offering $1 million to registered voters in swing states who sign a petition for “America PAC,” the Tesla founder’s super PAC that supports former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
Musk has announced a handful of winners so far, and participants will be paid via the super PAC.
Sens. Peter Welch of Vermont and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging him to investigate the billionaire businessman, arguing that his “reward scheme appears to violate federal campaign finance law.”
They noted that Musk’s giveaway, which requires participants to be registered to vote in order to participate, may violate laws that forbid paying people to vote, or register to vote.
Welch and Blumenthal argued that Musk’s giveaway is “explicitly designed to induce people to register to vote.”
“There is no place for vote buying in our democracy,” the senators wrote, adding that “permitting this scheme to proceed without consequences makes a mockery of democracy and the law.” They urged Garland to take the “appropriate enforcement action, including prosecution,” if Musk’s actions are deemed illegal.
The billionaire businessman has reportedly already been warned about the giveaway by the DOJ.
Musk has emerged as Trump’s second largest financial backer during this election, spending more than $130 million to support the former president and other Republicans running for the House and Senate.
Spokespeople for America PAC and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Read the senators’ full letter to the DOJ below: