Elon Musk Skipped His Court Appearance Today
Tech magnate-turned-political crusader Elon Musk skipped a Philadelphia court appearance on Thursday, despite a court order to attend. Musk was slated to respond to a lawsuit filed by Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner, which accused Musk's $1 million voter incentive scheme in swing states of being illegal. Musk's lawyers, however, were present and successfully had the case transferred to a federal court.
In a court filing on Wednesday night, Musk's legal team argued that the legal complexities surrounding the $1 million incentive scheme exceeded the capabilities of a single Philadelphia court. The filing stated, "While the Complaint presents itself as raising only state-law claims pertaining to public nuisance and consumer protection, DA Krasner's claims, as depicted in the Complaint, primarily revolve around the allegation that Defendants are somehow interfering unlawfully with a federal election."
Krasner instituted the initial lawsuit on Monday in an attempt to halt Musk's $1 million daily giveaways to swing state voters. Musk, in his defense, stated that any registered voter in a swing state could potentially win the cash by signing a petition in support of free speech and the Second Amendment. Krasner vowed to contest the transfer of the lawsuit to a federal court.
According to Krasner, Musk's giveaway constitutes a lottery. "America PAC and Musk are misleading Philadelphia citizens—and others in the Commonwealth (as well as swing states in the upcoming election)—to surrender their personal information and make a political pledge in exchange for the opportunity to win $1 million," Krasner argued in his lawsuit.
The original court date for the lawsuit was scheduled for Friday, but was brought forward to Thursday morning following a surge of death threats aimed at Krasner following the news of the initial lawsuit. A Wednesday evening filing from Krasner's legal team detailed the nature of the threats, which included a X post publishing Krasner's home address. The post, noting "Krasner loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home," has since been removed, but the account remains active.
Musk has been an ardent supporter of Trump during the campaign trail since the summer, contributing over $118.5 million to America PAC, an organization actively campaigning for Trump. However, the details of how America PAC has spent the money, as well as the efficacy of their campaigning efforts, remain unclear.
An investigation by WIRED, published on Wednesday, featured door-knockers working for America PAC in Michigan. They described a disorganized get-out-the-vote campaign, with individuals learning they would be campaigning for Trump only after signing a non-disclosure agreement. They were also required to cover their own accommodation, travel, and transportation expenses if they failed to meet their targets.
Musk is betting heavily on a Trump victory. Musk's lawyers' maneuver to have the Krasner lawsuit assigned to a federal court is a delaying tactic. Musk, as a prominent government contractor, enjoys a close relationship with the Pentagon and holds a security clearance despite recent allegations of overly friendly interactions with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The DoJ warned Musk about his $1 million voter incentive scheme but he chose to proceed regardless.
If Musk's strategy of postponing the legal proceedings until after the election proves successful and Donald Trump secures another term, potential legal ramifications for Musk may be minimized. A Trump-led Justice Department might take a lenient stance on various of Musk's activities.
However, should Vice President Kamala Harris emerge victorious, Musk's words to Tucker Carlson in a recent interview ring true: "I'm screwed."
In the future, Musk envisions leveraging advanced technology to strengthen his political advocacy, as he mentioned, "I do want to do a thing called SpaceX City, where we create a city on Mars, and build the first autonomous, digital democracy."
Musk's tech-driven political ambitions are not isolated to Mars, as he aims to revolutionize voting processes, proclaiming, "We can actually reinvent the voting system so that it's secure, it's cheap, it's fast, and it's digital."
