A Wisconsin elections commission has determined that Elon Musk probably broke state law when he distributed $1 million in checks to voters ahead of the 2025 state supreme court election, marking the first official finding of probable cause in what has escalated into bribery complaints against the billionaire.
The bipartisan panel voted 5-1 last week to forward two separate complaints to the Brown County district attorney. Both complaints were filed by voters from Milwaukee and Green Bay, the latter falling within Brown County jurisdiction.
Musk handed out the cash at a Green Bay rally, with at least two recipients taking the checks in person. He framed the giveaway as essential to Donald Trump's political agenda and claimed it bore on "the future of civilization."
Wisconsin law explicitly prohibits offering anything of value to voters "in order to induce any elector" to act in a particular way. The commission found that Musk's cash distribution met the threshold for probable cause under this statute, according to commission spokesperson Emilee Miklas.
The state's Democratic attorney general attempted to block Musk from distributing the checks minutes before the rally, but the state supreme court declined to intervene, voting unanimously against hearing the emergency appeal.
This latest controversy adds to Musk's broader spending campaign in Wisconsin. Last year, his political action committee, America Pac, spent over $20 million supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimel in the supreme court race, which Schimel lost by 10 percentage points to Democrat Susan Crawford. The group also offered $100 to voters who signed a petition opposing "activist judges" or referred someone to sign.
Musk experimented with similar voter incentive strategies during the 2024 presidential race, when America Pac offered $1 million daily to supporters in battleground states who signed a petition backing First and Second Amendment protections.
The complaints against Musk remain confidential under state law, meaning their specific contents have not been disclosed publicly. The Brown County district attorney will now decide whether to pursue charges or conduct further investigation.
Author James Rodriguez: "Musk's playbook of mixing cash with electoral activism is catching up with him, and Wisconsin's decision sends a clear signal that even billionaires aren't above election law."
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