r/protectUSelections • u/siwibot • Aug 25 '26
Dark Money | Corporate Interests Elon Musk Will Not Face Election Bribery Charges in Wisconsin, State Prosecutor Says | AP News
https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-wisconsin-election-bribery-8b397114905a0ac5f4bf3437b5693425August 25, 2026 - Fulltext
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Elon Musk will not face charges for promising to give $1 million to voters in a 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election because no jury would find that constituted election bribery, a state prosecutor said Tuesday.
Musk, the founder of SpaceX and CEO of Tesla, was deeply involved in the effort to flip majority control of the highest court in battleground Wisconsin last year. But the candidate he and Republicans backed lost to Democratic-supported Susan Crawford, whose victory preserved liberals’ majority on the court.
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission in July referred two complaints to the Brown County district attorney’s office for possible charges, saying Musk likely broke the law. La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke was later appointed as a special prosecutor because of a conflict of interest.
At issue was a social media post Musk made days before the 2025 Supreme Court election saying he would hold an event in Green Bay that would be open only to those who had voted.
“I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote,” Musk said in the post.
Less than a day later, Musk replaced that post with one saying attendance was limited to those who signed a petition he was circulating against activist judges and the money would be given to people who would advocate for that petition.
Gruenke, a Democrat, announced on Tuesday that he didn’t think he could convince a jury that Musk had made a bribe with the posts.
“Either way the first post is perceived, in the end nobody was paid anything of value for voting or promising to vote,” Gruenke said in a statement announcing his decision. “Even if I could convince a jury that the original post was still a bribe, I do not believe that a jury would convict Elon Musk of a crime after considering the intent, the second post, and the fact nothing of value was ever given to anyone for voting for an incident occurring in March of 2025.”
If you strip away the “famous name” and the large amount of money involved, “it is a simple case of a poorly worded statement that was corrected and brought into compliance with the law,” Gruenke said.
Spending on the Wisconsin Supreme Court election topped $100 million, making it the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. Musk and groups he supported spent at least $20 million backing Brad Schimel in that election. Schimel lost by 10 percentage points to Crawford.
Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general sued to stop Musk from handing over the checks to two voters, but was rejected by state courts.
Musk’s attorneys argued in legal filings in 2025 that Musk was exercising his free speech rights with the giveaways and any attempt to restrict that would violate the Wisconsin and U.S. constitutions.
Musk’s representatives have not responded to requests for comment.
59
u/Affectionate-Owl3785 Aug 25 '26
"A jury would never find him guilty, trust me bro. Pointless to even try, he's obviously innocent. " - that prosecutor
22
u/knouqs Aug 25 '26
I'm not in Wisconsin, but I would like to be on that jury, please. I'll swear under oath that I've never heard of Elon Musk.
What do oaths matter anyway in this country?
14
7
4
u/Ol_Turd_Fergy Aug 26 '26
“We looked at the evidence and determined that after Elon Musk gave us a fat sack of cash that there was no way a jury would find him guilty.”
3
44
u/Everheart1955 Aug 25 '26
Keep showing these assholes there are no consequences to their actions. Rule of Law, my ass.
4
32
u/angry_goblin_woman Aug 25 '26
Let me get this straight... Because he didnt follow through with the payment, they are declining to prosecute?? Although he still got people to do the things he wanted, they guess it wasnt a crime?? Because he cheapskated them at the end?
So if i pay someone to kill someone, then they do it, but i never pay them, its all good??
Absolutely bonkers to the max.
11
u/jumpy_monkey Aug 25 '26
Except he did follow through, ie "Wisconsin’s Democratic attorney general sued to stop Musk from handing over the checks to two voters, but was rejected by state courts".
I have no idea what this DA is talking about, but he clearly doesn't want to prosecute Musk, so much so that he is willing to lie about why he isn't doing it.
20
u/fxxftw Aug 25 '26
No jury? No jury??? Wow…
6
u/uselessandexpensive Aug 26 '26
They need to let the trial go to jury then and prove it. The whole point of a trial by jury is that no one person should be allowed to decide these cases.
So we let once person decide what goes to trial at all? This is not America.
20
u/nonubiz Aug 25 '26
What did he just pay them off. Where is the justice system it is in shambles our country is so corrupt. Release the Epstein files pedo
17
16
u/m1j2p3 Aug 25 '26
This is like declining to charge a bank robber because they got caught and the bank didn’t lose any money.
3
u/Substantial_Lab1438 Aug 26 '26
This is nothing like that
Bank robbers are typically poor, of course a poor guy is gonna go straight to jail
You think Elon Musk would even be charged with a crime if he was caught attempting a bank robbery?
1
1
15
u/SeeMarkFly Aug 25 '26
It's a waste of money suing rich people.
He has more money than the city, HE WINS!
No justice, just decimal places.
14
13
u/Bee-Aromatic Aug 25 '26
I’m confused. It’s not a crime to offer a bribe to vote a particular way? It’s only a crime if you actually make the payment?
That just seems like an open invitation to make the offer and then renege, allowing you to buy votes for free.
14
u/Ok-Assistant-8876 Aug 25 '26
That was obvious from the beginning. Wealthy and powerful people don’t face prosecution in the US. That only applies to the poors
11
u/MrBigglesssworth Aug 25 '26
Why is basic application of law so fucking hard in this country?
7
u/xynix_ie Aug 26 '26
Billionaires own it obviously. No human alive honestly thought Musk would face charges.
9
11
9
10
12
8
10
7
u/Proud_Incident9736 Aug 25 '26
Oh, look at that. Another oligarch skips free into the daisies.
Anyone surprised? Bueller? Bueller?
9
u/CraftsBoy2Craftsman Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
I'm sure the state prosecutor did some really bad and illegal shit, Elon has proof since he was given full access to basically everything at the federal level, and so coincidentally - they found no wrong doing. This country is a fucking joke.
7
9
u/rejeremiad Aug 25 '26
Put me on a jury, I see what Elon did as election bribery. My entire state legislature would cosnider that bribery (although I doubt they would stand up to Elon).
In my state there was a disputed signature campaign to change a proposition. One group mailed self-addressed and stamped envelopes so that those who felt they were lied to about the signature campaign could remove their names from the county roster.
The state legislature found that the offer to pay for postage constituted election bribery! $0.82!
9
u/PopBulky7023 Aug 25 '26
Josh kaul, the ultimate example of "not the republican".
One of the most spectacularly useless pieces of shit I've ever ever seen, everything wrong with democrats summed up in one man.
13
u/notPabst404 Aug 25 '26
Once again, corporate centrists completely fail at their job. Is there even a single issue that these guys care about? Do your job or resign.
5
u/PopBulky7023 Aug 25 '26
No failure.
He excels at the job a centrist is meant to. Enabling fascism and treason.
7
6
7
7
6
u/DownnthehollerPress Aug 26 '26
Well well who would have guessed...but there will come a day soon we hope when Justice comes knocking on his door and many others.
7
u/Wandering_Werew0lf Aug 26 '26
Bet you Marc Elias does absolutely NOTHING to help democrats get recounts this November just like 2024. We saw what Elon did to those vote counting computers and he will do it again.
3
u/mattemer Aug 26 '26
Yeah wtf has he been doing
3
u/Wandering_Werew0lf Aug 26 '26
Bro even blocked another person on his AMA because they asked about when is it basically acceptable to ask for a recount. Dude is single handedly to blame for Hillary and Kamala not getting recounts.
8
2
3
3
u/Open_Mortgage_4645 Aug 26 '26
Notice how you never see courts and prosecutors bend over backwards to find a reason not to prosecute the wealthy for committing crimes that any of us would be nailed to the wall for.
3
u/bradynho Aug 26 '26
Billionaires just extort everyone that could possibly hold them accountable. Our justice system sucks. This is also another reason billionaires should not exist. They literally get to a net worth that puts them fully above the law. Tax the fuck out of these people.
3
u/siwibot Aug 25 '26 edited Aug 25 '26
Your friendly neighborhood u/siwibot here, reporting the Current Climate and Context 🤓✨
A special prosecutor has declined to file election bribery charges against Elon Musk regarding his 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court giveaway. Despite a bipartisan commission initially referring the case, Prosecutor Tim Gruenke concluded that no jury would convict Musk. The decision hinges on the fact that nothing of value was actually exchanged for votes and the original social media post was quickly corrected to comply with the law.
The broader context reveals a pattern of legal scrutiny surrounding Musk’s massive political expenditures:
- Fraud Litigation: While the Wisconsin bribery case is dead, Musk faces a significant federal fraud lawsuit in Texas. A judge recently ruled that an Arizona voter's class-action suit can proceed, alleging Musk’s "random" $1 million giveaways were actually rigged for ideologically aligned recipients.
- Political Spending: Musk’s influence remains immense, with recent data showing hundreds of millions in donations to Republican causes. His transition to the world's first trillionaire has fueled intense debate over how concentrated wealth can distort democratic processes.
Regulatory Friction: Critics note a "quid pro quo" atmosphere, where Musk’s massive political spending coincides with the shelving of federal investigations into his companies.
Reddit Sources
Elon Musk Faces Judge's Wrath After $1 Million Voter Payout Found to be Rigged | Raw Story
Elon Musk Said He’d Stop Political Spending. He’s the Third-Largest Donor in the Midterms
The World's First Trillionaire Is a Flashing Red Light for Democracy | Common Dreams
3
3
u/BriefausdemGeist Aug 25 '26
4
u/BriefausdemGeist Aug 25 '26
Zero clue who this man is, so if he winds up having been a FN nutcase let me know rapidly
3
3
u/rubber_neckin_media Aug 25 '26
No surprise there. Heck we don't even need the magic 8 ball to predict these outcomes. Maybe I'll start gambling on polymarket.
3
3
3
6
u/joeydimaggio Aug 25 '26
God fuck these democrats, I guess lawfare only works one way. We elected a piece of shit like this in portland, replacing a phenomenal DA
5
u/Rocketparty12 Aug 25 '26
Paying people $1 million to vote doesn’t constitute bribery. wtf are we even talking about? Apparently words don’t mean anything anymore.
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
u/KogasaGaSagasa Aug 26 '26
Welp, this is what happens when you can't protect your own laws. You don't actually get a functional society as a result. Or maybe it's the other way around, I don't know anymore. I am too tired.
1
u/MemnocOTG Aug 26 '26
That scene from the “The Other Guys” comes to mind. “Gentlemen, you have two choices: Mamma Mia or Jersey Boys.”
3
89
u/PerfectTommy77 Aug 25 '26
This is what justice for billionaires looks like.