Politics
Elon Musk will not face Wisconsin election bribery charges, prosecutor says
A special prosecutor concluded a jury would not convict Musk over a 2025 social media post offering $1 million to voters because no money was paid and the post was quickly corrected.
The short version
- Special prosecutor Tim Gruenke announced that Elon Musk will not face state election bribery charges over a 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election post.
- Musk initially posted an offer of $1 million checks to voters before amending it less than a day later to require signing a petition instead.
- The decision closes a referral from the bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission, which had previously asserted Musk likely violated state law.
Key facts
- La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke, serving as special prosecutor, declined to file criminal charges against Elon Musk.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission referred two complaints in July claiming Musk likely broke the law.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Musk replaced his original post offering $1 million checks to voters within a day, changing the requirement to signing a petition against activist judges.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Gruenke stated that no money or item of value was ultimately paid to anyone for voting or promising to vote.[ABC News · Associated Press]
- Musk and affiliated groups spent at least $20 million supporting conservative candidate Brad Schimel, who lost to Susan Crawford.[ABC News · Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- Musk's representatives have not responded to public requests for comment regarding the prosecutor's decision.[ABC News · Associated Press]