Pennsylvania gov calls Elon Musk’s million-dollar giveaway for signing pro-Trump petition ‘deeply concerning’
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Elon Musk’s pledge on Saturday that his pro-Trump America PAC would award $1 million every day to someone who signs his petition until Election Day drew legal scrutiny from Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who called the pledge "deeply disturbing."
Shapiro made the comments during a Sunday morning appearance on NBC’s "Meet the Press," a day after Musk appeared at a pro-Trump rally in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
Asked if he thought the giveaway was legal, Shapiro, a former attorney general, said the real question is "with how [Musk] is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians."
"That is deeply concerning. Look, Musk obviously has a right to be able to express his views. He’s made it very clear that he supports Donald Trump. I don’t – obviously, we have a difference of opinion," Shapiro said. "I don’t deny him that right. But when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at."
L-R: Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Elon Musk. (Getty Images; Reuters / Getty Images)
Shapiro would not say whether he thought the petition was legal, only that "it’s something that law enforcement could take a look at" and "it does raise some serious questions."
CEO Elon Musk waves goodbye to the audience as he leaves a town hall event hosted by America PAC in support of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania, on Oc (RYAN COLLERD/AFP via Getty Images / Getty Images)
The petition Musk announced at Harrisburg on Saturday reads: "The First and Second Amendment guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First And Second Amendments."
The first million-dollar award was given to John Dreher, a self-described "big fan" of Musk.
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Federal Elections Commission (FEC) filings show Musk was the sole donor of the America PAC, making around $75 million in contributions between July and September. In that time span, the PAC spent around $72 million, according to disclosures.
FILE: SpaceX founder Elon Musk during a T-Mobile and SpaceX joint event on August 25, 2022, in Boca Chica Beach, Texas. (Photo by Michael Gonzalez/Getty Images / Getty Images)
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The America PAC set a goal to get 1 million voters across Pennsylvania and the other swing states of Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Michigan, Wisconsin and North Carolina to sign a petition in support of the First and Second Amendments by Oct. 21.
FOX Business’ Sarah Rumpf-Whitten contributed to this report.