The thing about District Attorneys is when they make a case and prove it before a jury of someone’s peers, no one in the Federal Government, including the President can pardon you. Get this, Elon Musk is facing a legal hurdle after the Wisconsin Elections Commission voted to move complaints tied to his voter payment campaign to a district attorney for possible criminal review.
Criminal. State level. Let’s go …
In a bipartisan 5 to 1 vote, commissioners determined there was probable cause to believe Wisconsin’s election bribery law may have been violated during the state’s 2025 Supreme Court race. The complaints center on activity by Musk’s America PAC, including $100 payments to people who signed a petition and public promises on social media that voters could receive $1 million.
The commission referred the matter to Brown County District Attorney David Lasee, a Republican, who now has 40 days to determine whether criminal charges should be filed.
The controversy unfolded during the closely watched Supreme Court election, where Musk invested more than $20 million in support of conservative candidate Brad Schimel. Schimel was ultimately defeated.
Attorneys representing Musk have pushed back on the allegations, arguing the payments were never intended to influence votes. Instead, they say the money was offered to individuals serving as spokespeople for the petition effort, making the program an exercise of protected political speech rather than an unlawful incentive tied to voting.
The commission’s vote does not amount to a finding of guilt, but it does advance the complaints into the next phase of the legal process. Whether the case moves forward now rests with the district attorney, whose decision could determine if the high profile election spending effort results in criminal charges.
