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    • Judge won’t block Elon Musk’s million election eve gifts
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    Judge won’t block Elon Musk’s $1 million election eve gifts

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    A Pennsylvania judge on Monday rejected Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s attempt to block tech billionaire Elon Musk $1 Million Daily Giveaways voters in swing states on the eve of the presidential election.

    Lawyers for Musk’s Pro-Trump Super PAC argued that the political action committee chooses winners of the lucrative payouts based on who would be good spokespeople for its agenda, not random registered voters — as Musk originally described the awards.

    Chris Gober, an attorney for the PAC, made the argument in an effort to convince Judge Angelo Foglietta that the gift was not an “illegal sweepstakes.” as Krasner claimed in a process that sought to block payments. Musk, a staunch supporter of former President Donald Trumpsaid the final winner would be announced on Election Day, Tuesday.

    In response, Krasner took the stand to say that the $1 million daily giveaways in the seven swing states expected to decide the election were indeed an illegal lottery. He told Judge Foglietta that some Pennsylvania residents were “cheated out of their information” and called the offer an “extortion” aimed at political marketing.

    Foglietta rejected Krasner’s offer in a brief written order and said he would outline his reasoning later.

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    Controversies and questions about the legality of payments

    At first, Musk, the world’s richest man, described the gifts like a lottery-like systembut he has changed the public message according to legal experts – and, apparently, Department of Justice – raised questions about its legality.

    “There is no prize to be won, instead recipients must fulfill contractual obligations to serve as a spokesperson for the PAC,” Gober said at the hearing.

    The hearing in the key swing state comes just one day before Trump, Musk’s favorite candidateface Democrat Vice President Kamala Harris One closely contested race.

    More: Elon Musk sued by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner over $1 million voter lottery

    In recent months, Musk and his political action committee have backed Trump with money, campaign operations and the influence of X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that Musk bought for $44 billion in 2022.

    Musk and the PAC distributed oversized $1 million checks beginning October 19. Krasner, a Democrat, sued Musk and his PAC on Oct. 28, describing the giveaway as an illegal lottery that violates state consumer protection laws.

    In court Monday, an attorney for Krasner’s office, John Summers, said Gober’s comments were a “full admission of liability.”

    “I just heard this guy say ‘my boss, my client, called it random,'” Summers said. “We promised people that they would be in a random process, but it’s a process where we pre-select people.”

    Musk heavily advertised the giveaway and said his offer was limited to registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. America PAC has so far awarded $1 million in prizes to 16 people and said the final prize will be awarded on November 5.

    Musk and his PAC of America he sought to move the case in federal court, but a federal judge on Friday ordered sent back to state court.

    Credit: Reuters

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