Following the DOJ's cautionary statement, Elon Musk's political action committee failed to declare the 'daily' lottery victor on Wednesday.
The pro-Trump organization, America PAC, has declared a winner each day since Saturday, following Elon Musk's declaration that he would grant $1 million daily to individuals who signed his petition. This petition supports the 1st and 2nd Amendments of the Constitution, but only registered voters in battleground states can sign and have a chance to win the money.
CNN reported Wednesday afternoon that the Justice Department had sent a cautionary letter to the super PAC, indicating that the lottery might break federal law by offering incentives like money or prizes to encourage voter registration. People with knowledge of the situation shared this information with CNN.
The super PAC announced its winners daily with fanfare, using flashy videos on social media and celebratory tweets from Musk. It's uncertain if the Justice Department letter is the reason the super PAC didn't announce a winner on Wednesday.
CNN has reached out to the super PAC for comment.
Musk, the CEO of X and Tesla, has defended the contest multiple times on social media. In response to a post claiming Musk was "paying to register Republicans," Musk said on X that winners could be from any or no political party and voting wasn't necessary. He didn't address the legal issue of limiting the lottery to registered voters.
After Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, a Democrat and former state attorney general, called the giveaway "deeply concerning" and suggested it needed legal scrutiny on Sunday, Musk responded on his X platform, claiming it was "concerning" that Shapiro would say such a thing.
On Sunday, the second day of the sweepstakes, the super PAC revised its messaging about the giveaway, describing the money as payment for a job. On social media, the group said winners would be "selected to earn $1M as a spokesperson for America PAC." Subsequently, they posted pro-Trump testimonial videos featuring the winners.
However, several election law experts who spoke to CNN noted that the fine print on Musk's super PAC website explaining the official terms of entry did not change.
Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, has supported Trump and donated more than $75 million to his pro-Trump super PAC. He hopes the sweepstakes will stimulate voter registration among Trump supporters.
He made his first appearance on the campaign trail with Trump earlier this month, encouraging people to register to vote and labeling Democrats as a threat to democracy at Trump's rally returning to Butler, Pennsylvania, the site of a July assassination attempt.
Musk also hosted his own town halls in Pennsylvania last week, urging voters to support Trump and propagating several debunked conspiracy theories about the 2020 election.
CNN’s Evan Perez, Hannah Rabinowitz and Daniel Strauss contributed to this report.
The ongoing politics surrounding the pro-Trump organization's sweepstakes have raised concerns, with CNN reporting a potential violation of federal law due to the lottery's incentives. Despite the Justice Department's warning, the super PAC continues to announce winners daily in a celebratory manner, using social media and Musk's endorsement.
