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☆ Elon Musk's $1 million giveaway may not be legal
▼ + stars: | 2024-10-21 | by ( Bryan Metzger | Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Elon Musk is giving away $1 million each day to a voter who signs a petition. AdvertisementElon Musk's latest gambit to help elect former President Donald Trump may be illegal, according to election law experts. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024In this instance, the problem may be that giveaway participants are required to be registered voters. Other election law experts also said that Musk is either barely toeing the line or has outright broken the law. Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote on his blog that the giveaway constitutes "clearly illegal vote buying."

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, Donald Trump, It's, Musk, Richard Briffault, Briffault, I'm, he's, Rick Hasen, Josh Shapiro, Tim Walz Organizations: Service, America, Trump, America PAC, Department, Justice Department, Columbia Law School, Department of Justice, University of California, Musk's America PAC, Pennsylvania, Gov Locations: Harrisburg , PA, Pennsylvania , Georgia, Nevada , Arizona , Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Los Angeles

AdvertisementElon Musk's latest gambit to help elect former President Donald Trump may be illegal, some election law experts say. — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 20, 2024In this instance, the problem may be that giveaway participants are required to be registered voters. According to the America PAC website, the giveaway program is "exclusively open to registered voters in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina. Other election law experts also said that Musk is either barely toeing the line or has outright broken the law. Rick Hasen, an election law professor at the University of California, Los Angeles, wrote on his blog that the giveaway constitutes "clearly illegal vote buying."

Persons: Elon Musk, —, Elon, Donald Trump, It's, Musk, Richard Briffault, Briffault, he's, Rick Hasen, Hasen, Matthew Alvarez, Tucker, Alvarez, Trump, We're, Josh Shapiro, Shapiro, Tim Walz Organizations: Service, America, Trump, America PAC, Department, Justice Department, Columbia Law School, Department of Justice, University of California, Rutan, DOJ, Musk's America PAC, Pennsylvania, Business, Gov Locations: Harrisburg , Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania , Georgia, Nevada , Arizona , Michigan, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Los Angeles

☆ GOP lawsuits over Kamala Harris using Biden campaign funds or headlining Democratic ballots will all fail, experts say
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-23 | by ( Laura Italiano | Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Republican legal experts and think tanks such as the Heritage Foundation are questioning Harris's ability to access the Biden-Harris campaign coffers. Others, including Congressman Steve Scalise, say it's wrong for Harris to assume the top line of the ticket after 14 million state primary voters cast ballots for Biden. There's no general election candidate being replaced, so those rules and regulations about replacement don't don't apply to the situation." AdvertisementNoti of the Campaign Legal Center said a meritless claim like this would be tossed from court immediately, leaving the GOP challengers' lawyers subject to possible sanctions for filing a frivolous suit. "I suspect it would be disposed of very quickly," Becker agreed of any legal challenge to Harris headlining Democratic ballots.

Persons: —, Kamala Harris, Joe Biden, Harris, Steve Scalise, Biden, Dan Weiner, Charles Spies, Weiner, David Becker, Noti, — Weiner, Becker Organizations: Service, White, Republican, Heritage Foundation, Biden, Business, Brennan Center for Justice, Republican National Committee, Wall Street, Democratic, The Center, Election Innovation, Research, Brennan, Center, GOP, Republican Party, Democratic Party Locations: Washington ,, North Carolina

But it is actually registered as a nonprofit with the IRS — not a formal political party. Both the FEC and the IRS have been hesitant in recent years to police groups that push the boundaries of campaign finance law. The IRS, meanwhile, has largely shrunk from enforcement ever since attempts to crack down on tea party groups during Barack Obama's presidency drew massive backlash. Still, campaign finance experts say many of the legal arguments made by the Democratic groups are solid. Under a widely held interpretation of IRS rules, political nonprofit groups are limited to making political activity 50% of their activity.

Persons: Joe Biden, Donald Trump, ”, Tiffany Muller, “, Biden, Barack Obama's, Adav Noti, Ryan Clancy, Clancy, ” Noti, ___ Cooper Organizations: WASHINGTON, Biden, Trump, Democratic, Citizens United, End Citizens, Federal, Commission, IRS, FEC, Republicans, Citizens Locations: Washington, Colorado, Phoenix

Just 14% say they have a great deal or "quite a lot" of confidence in the criminal justice system, half the level of a decade ago. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's case is the first of several involving Trump as the country braces for a 2024 presidential election in which Trump is the leading Republican candidate. Trump himself has over the years complained that law enforcement was targeting him for political purposes, and his rhetoric has heightened since the New York case surfaced. On Wednesday, Trump called on his fellow Republicans in Congress to slash funding for the U.S. Justice Department and the FBI. "It's obvious the criminal legal system can punch down - it's proven that, and oppressively so," Ali said.

☆ George Santos' new treasurer says he doesn't work for him and that his name was signed without his consent
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( Joshua Zitser | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fundraising committees associated with George Santos listed a new treasurer on Wednesday. But the man listed said he doesn't work for Santos, and his name was signed without his consent. A legal expert told ABC News that this could be against the law. But that treasurer, Thomas Datwyler, now says he doesn't work for Santos, informed the campaign that he didn't want to work for them, and was listed as serving in the position without his consent. "On Monday, we informed the Santos campaign that Mr. Datwyler would not be serving as treasurer," Datwyler's attorney Derek Ross told ABC News.

☆ Newly-elected Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach fined $30,000 by FEC for illegal contribution from 'WeBuildTheWall' scam organization
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-30 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Kris Kobach was fined $30,000 by the Federal Election Commission for accepting an illegal contribution. He was just elected Kansas Attorney General. "We Build The Wall," the group that contributed to Kobach's Senate campaign, has a colorful history of its own. But Bannon now faces similar charges from the New York State Attorney General and was arrested again in September 2022. The incoming state attorney general, who served as Kansas secretary of state from 2011 until 2019, rose to national prominence during the Trump administration for his anti-immigration views and claims of voter fraud.

☆ Visa's PAC gave politicians $139,000 in March after vowing to pause contributions because of the Capitol insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-07 | by ( Kayla Epstein | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Visa's PAC has resumed political donations after announcing a pause following the January 6 Capitol attack. On March 24, Visa gave a total of $139,000 to candidate and political committees on both sides of the aisle. None of the lawmakers voted to object to the certification of the 2020 election results. Visa also filled coffers of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, giving each one $15,000. On January 12, less than a week after the attack, Visa's PAC "temporarily suspended all political donations as we review our candidate contribution guidelines," the company told the Washington Post.

☆ 'Cases up the wazoo for years to come': Legal insiders brace for a world where Trump loses and the ex-president faces down a slew of reinvigorated court fights
▼ + stars: | 2020-11-02 | by ( Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +16 min

The Trump campaign did not respond to Insider's questions about the possible legal challenges ahead for the president and his team. Justice Department investigation 'plausible'Could Trump's own Justice Department, at this moment, be criminally investigating the Trump reelection campaign? And that means officials there would "likely be avoiding public investigative steps" even if they were examining Trump campaign activity, Petalas said. Separately, Insider in mid-July reported that the Trump campaign was conducting an internal review of campaign spending irregularities overseen by Parscale. "If I was President Trump, that's what I would be worried about."

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