Elon Musk escaped the fallout after handing out $1 million in checks to state voters in highly publicized events aimed at influencing the 2024 presidential election. The world’s richest man has been cleared of bribery charges after the state of Pennsylvania dropped a lawsuit against him. But there’s still a chance that Musk’s attempt to rig Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election with the same tactics could result in criminal charges.
The Wisconsin Elections Commission sent two complaints to the Brown County District Attorney’s Office after finding that Musk violated the law when he cut $1 million in checks to Wisconsin voters in 2025. Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
According to the Journal-Sentinel, the commission issued its final opinion 5-1 during a July 10 meeting that was not open to the public. According to a copy of the petition seen by the newspaper, Musk alleges probable cause that he violated state law by “posting a social media post offering voters $1 million to induce them to vote in the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court Election.”
The election pitted Republican-endorsed Brad Schimel against Democrat-endorsed Susan Crawford, who is vying for a seat on the Wisconsin Supreme Court. The election broke the record for the most money spent on a state judicial race, with more than $100 million invested by powerful people like Musk.
The SpaceX CEO put at least $3 million of his own money into the race, while America PAC and related groups like Rebuild America’s Future put in at least $19 million. Associated Press. But it wasn’t just money for TV ads or what campaigns did to help their preferred candidate win.
Musk has previously given a $1 million check to two people in Wisconsin, testing the drive he has placed between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris in swing states for the 2024 presidential election. Musk supported Trump in that election and was rewarded with the ability to destroy the federal government, take the shackles on the federal workforce (hiring over 300,000 people) and illegally defund programs like USAID.
Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit to block Musk from handing out the $1 million checks before he personally visits Wisconsin in 2025, something the former trillionaire announced on social media platform X. But the courts rejected this claim.
Musk’s original tweet saying he would be visiting Green Bay has since been deleted and redacted, possibly because it would have run afoul of the state’s bribery laws.
“Sunday night I’ll be speaking in Wisconsin” now deleted A tweet from 2025 has been read. “Entry is limited to those who voted in the Supreme Court election. I will personally deliver two checks for one million dollars each as a thank you for taking the time to vote. This is very important.”
After deleting that tweet, Musk created a new one and wrote, trying to “clarify” what he meant: “To clarify the previous post, access is limited to those who signed the petition against the activist judges. I will also give 2 people a million dollar check to be the spokesperson for the petition.”
Crawford won the Wisconsin Supreme Court race by 10 points, but liberals believe it’s important to prevent Musk from continuing his bribery campaign in future elections. But it remains to be seen whether Musk will face criminal charges and what consequences he may ultimately face for such blatantly unethical actions.
