Elon Musk lawyer says $1M voter giveaway winners are not random
reuters.com
reuters.com
It's funny how supposed "free speech absolutist" Musk is so keen to restrict the speech of others.
To qualify for this giveaway you had to sign a petition pledging your support for the first amendment: "The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments"
Only to gag your speech by signing another piece of paper.
His "free speech absolutism" is a way of signaling the kinda guy he is and the kinda guys he wants to be associated with.
Well, maybe one felon.
Don't look now, but... the only reason Trump can vote is that Florida law defers to the voting laws of the state in which a felon has been convicted. New York, in turn, has lifted the ban on felons voting, but excludes them from voting from prison.
Engaging in, and admitting to, an illegal scam in the hope that Trump wins and he'll get away with anything.
The Justice Department is extremely reluctant to prosecute unless they are absolutely sure of winning. They do not like going to a judge and saying, "We're pretty sure this is illegal." The culture is that prosecution has historically been used for persecution, and they want to be absolutely beyond reproach.
They are well aware that it would be easy for a court to say, "The specific way he phrased it does not constitute a violation of the law. It's up to Congress to close that loophole." Which, of course, they won't.
So unless they can prove a crime beyond a shadow of a doubt, they will likely not try to bring it to court. They might try negotiating a fine, but even if the fine is a billion dollars, it's just pocket change. Which he and I would consider "getting away with it".
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/crlnjzzk919o
Which might make it an election law violation. Or not.
If it works, of course, there's every reason to think that the new government will just fail to prosecute.
If it fails... it's true that the Justice Department seems very wary of prosecuting when there's even the slightest bit of gray area. They want their cases to be absolutely airtight, especially when there are political ramifications.
Even if he loses, and there's just a fine, it would be just the cost of doing business.
But if jail time is an option -- and I have no idea if it is -- this is a mighty big risk to be taking.