PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The $1 million daily voter giveaways HE Elon Musk A Pennsylvania judge ruled Monday that political action committee hosting in swing states can continue until Tuesday’s presidential election.

Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta, who made the decision after Musk’s lawyers said the winners were paid spokespeople and not chosen by chance, did not immediately explain his reasoning.

Democratic District Attorney Larry Krasner called the process a fraud “really designed to influence the national election” and called for it to be shut down.

Musk lawyer Chris Gober said the final two buyers before Tuesday’s presidential election will be in Arizona on Monday and Michigan on Tuesday.

“The $1 million buyers were not chosen by chance,” Gober said Monday. “We know exactly who will be announced as the recipient of the $1 million today and tomorrow.”

Chris Young, director and treasurer America PACHe said recipients are screened in advance to “get a feel for their personalities (and) make sure they’re someone whose values ​​are compatible with the group.”

Defending the effort, Musk’s lawyers called it “essential political speech” as participants signed a petition affirming the U.S. Constitution. They also said Krasner’s bid to shut down the program is moot under Pennsylvania law because there will be no more winners in Pennsylvania before the program ends Tuesday.

Krasner believes the gifts violate and conflict with state election law What did Musk promise when he announced these? during an appearance with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump “We will randomly award a million dollars to people who sign the petition every day between now and the election,” Musk said during his campaign in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, on October 19.

Young also admitted that the PAC had buyers sign confidentiality agreements.

“They couldn’t really reveal the truth about how they got the money, could they?” Summers asked.

“It sounds about right,” Young said.

Anyone who signs the petition has a “chance to win $1 million a day,” Musk said in a social media post shown in court on Oct. 20.

Summers grilled him about Musk’s use of both the words “luck” and “random,” leading Young to admit that the latter was “not the word I would choose.”

Young said the winners knew they would be called on stage, but they didn’t specifically know they would win the money.

Musk did not attend the hearing. He committed more than $70 million to super PAC To help Trump and other Republicans win in November.

“This was all political marketing disguised as a lottery,” Krasner testified Monday. “This is it. A fraud.”

Lawyers for Musk and the PAC said they do not plan to extend the lottery beyond Tuesday. Krasner said the top three winners from Oct. 19 came from Pennsylvania by Oct. 21, the state’s voter registration deadline.

Other winners came from the battleground states of Wisconsin, Nevada, Arizona, Georgia, North Carolina and Michigan. It is not clear whether he has received the money yet. The PAC promised to receive the money by Nov. 30, according to a document shown in court.

More than 1 million people from seven states signed up for the sweepstakes by signing a petition saying they support free speech and the right to bear arms, the first two amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Krasner questioned how the PAC could use data it would have after the election.

“They were defrauded for their information,” Krasner said. “It has almost unlimited uses.”

Krasner’s team called Musk “the heartbeat of America PAC” and the person who announced the winners and presented the checks.

“He was the one who presented the checks, even if they were big cardboard checks. We don’t really know if it’s a real check,” Summers said.

Foglietta presided over the trial at Philadelphia City Hall after Musk and his PAC lost an effort to take the matter to federal court.

Krasner said he may still consider criminal charges because he is tasked with protecting the integrity of both lotteries and elections.

Pennsylvania remains a key battleground state with 19 delegate votes, and both Trump and Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris have visited the state multiple times, including planned stops on Monday. last hours of the campaign.

Stating that he has been using Tesla for a long time, Krasner said that he may also seek legal compensation for those who registered in Pennsylvania. Musk is its CEO and largest shareholder. Tesla’s. It also owns X, the social media platform where America PAC posts about sweepstakes, and the rocket ship manufacturer. SpaceX.

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