Elon Musk No-Show As Court Hearing Over $1M Voter Giveaway Begins

AP Photo/Susan Walsh

Elon Musk was absent from a Pennsylvania court hearing he was ordered to attend on Thursday as proceedings began over his controversial £1 million giveaway to select voters.

The hearing, just days before the November 5 presidential election, was called by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner who disputes the legality of Musk’s giveaway.

Late Wednesday Musk’s legal team filed for a transfer to federal court, arguing the case centers on free speech rights and potential election interference.

The initiative, viewed by some as a “lottery scheme to influence voters,” offers $1 million checks to randomly selected individuals in key battleground states—Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin—who sign a pledge supporting free speech and gun rights. The first recipient was awarded during an October 19 rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

Krasner filed the lawsuit against Musk’s America PAC, contending that Musk’s “illegal lottery scheme” seeks to sway the electorate toward supporting former President Donald Trump, who Musk has publicly backed with nearly $120 million in donations. Krasner added that the alleged attempt to “influence voters” skirts dangerously close to election interference.