Elon Musk Is Committing a Crime--but It Doesn't Matter Because He's Rich

[Mr.WeRP]

https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/elon-musk-is-committing-a-crime/

Elon Musk is—effectively—paying people to register to vote. This is a violation of federal election laws, and he should be prosecuted, fined, and imprisoned for his numerous violations. Unfortunately, this is Elon Musk we’re talking about, and the person responsible for enforcing federal laws against him is Attorney General Merrick Garland—and all of that means that Musk will not be prosecuted, fined, or sent to prison. The rules, you see, are different for rich white Republicans who violate the laws than they are for anyone else. I thought everybody knew that by now.
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The problem with Musk’s scheme is that, in order to get the money, you have to be registered to vote. By making voter registration key to getting the money, Musk is trying to induce people who are not registered to register to vote. That is illegal. As the elections law expert Rick Hasen points out, paying people, bribing people, or giving people pretty much anything of monetary value to induce them to register to vote is a violation of federal law.
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I know there are still people who would like to defend Garland’s historic inability to enforce any laws against Republican political actors, but, honestly, Garland’s response is beyond pathetic. It takes a Google search and half an hour of Westlaw access to “investigate” whether “Hoo boy, register to vote and have a chance to win a million dollars” violates applicable federal standards. The Department of Justice’s own “Election Crimes Manual” explains that what Musk is doing is illegal. Garland need only “investigate” the rules written down by his own institution to figure out that Musk is in violation of the law.