Elon Musk PAC warned by Justice Department that $1 million contest may be illegal

of US Department of Justice A super political action committee founded by Elon Musk has been warned that a $1 million-a-day voter sweepstakes could violate federal election law, people familiar with the matter told NBC News on Wednesday. spoke.

A letter from the Justice Department’s Public Integrity Division to America PAC, an organization that Musk receives significant funding from to support Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, has been revealed. legal expert He questioned the unusual gift plan.

Musk CEO is tesla SpaceX announced Saturday that it will give away $1 million every day to random registered voters in seven key battleground states who sign the PAC’s petition.

The states targeted are Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North Carolina, the most competitive states in the race between Trump and Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.

Federal law prohibits paying people to vote or register to vote. The petition itself does not ask signers to list their political party affiliation, but it does ask signers to include personal information such as email addresses and mobile phone numbers.

It is unclear when the Justice Department sent the letter, but it was reported early Wednesday. CNN And election blog 24 site news. A Justice Department spokesperson declined CNBC’s request for comment.

Chris Gober, an attorney for the America PAC to whom the letter is intended, did not immediately respond to CNBC’s inquiries.

Musk is the world’s richest man and one of the biggest backers of President Trump’s bid for the White House. America PAC has spent more than $100 million on the presidential campaign, with much of that money coming from Musk himself.

— CNBC’s Lora Kolodny contributed reporting.