Wisconsin prosecutor declines to charge Musk in election bribery investigation
A Wisconsin prosecutor said Tuesday he would not charge Elon Musk over allegations of bribery tied to his support for a conservative state Supreme Court candidate last year.
In March 2025, Musk announced on X that he would give two $1 million checks at a rally limited to people who had voted. Twelve hours later, he changed the terms, saying entry would be limited to people who signed a petition and that the payments were for people to act as “spokesmen for the petition.”
Tim Gruenke, the Democratic district attorney for La Crosse County, said the initial post could be construed as offering payment for voting but that he doubted he could secure a jury conviction.
“Without the famous name attached and the large dollar amounts involved, it is a simple case of a poorly worded statement that was corrected and brought into compliance with the law,” Gruenke wrote.
During the 2024 election, Musk’s Donald Trump-backing super PAC was warned by the Justice Department that a daily $1 million giveaway to swing-state voters could be illegal. The department brought no charges.
