The Michigan secretary of state’s office is conducting an investigation into a political action group that has Elon Musk’s support.
Musk claimed to have founded and contributed to the America PAC, a group that backs Donald Trump.
To be sure, legal experts were unable to identify any state statutes that the PAC might have violated.
In an attempt to gather voter data, a political action group supported by billionaire Musk is being investigated in Michigan.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, has stated that he founded and contributed to the America PAC, which backs former President Donald Trump. Forbes estimates that Musk is worth over $225 billion.
People who live in Michigan and other battleground states have been providing the committee with specific voter information after submitting their personal information through the PAC’s “register to vote” part of its website.
On the America PAC website, individuals in places such as Michigan can provide their ZIP code, address, and phone number by clicking on the “register to vote” page. A “thank you” page with an instruction to “complete the form below” is displayed to people whose address is in Michigan in order to complete the voter registration process. But as of Sunday afternoon, there was just a blank space to fill up underneath “thank you.”
According to a spokesman for the Michigan secretary of state’s office, “every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if an entity is claiming it will help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” the statement for CNBC read.
“Despite being a federal political action committee, the Department is investigating the America PAC’s operations to see whether any state laws have been broken. As necessary, we will forward any potential infractions to the office of the Michigan Attorney General,” the spokesperson continued.
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The group’s efforts were initially covered by CNBC, which also noted that the website does not directly register voters for those who live in swing states.
According to someone with intimate knowledge of the PAC’s activities, the website’s links were operational until the organization filed with the Federal Election Commission in May. However, the source now acknowledges that the links aren’t working properly.
This person clarified that the group intends to introduce a new website in the upcoming weeks. The individual chose not to reveal their identity in order to talk openly about personal issues.
An America PAC representative declined to comment. Musk didn’t reply to emails asking for clarification.
Democratic Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson is the top election officer in the state of Michigan. She has taken issue with statements made by former President Donald Trump and has been a strong opponent of disinformation relating to the election.
Legal documents show that Benson and other Michigan Democrats have been sued by the Republican National Committee at least twice this year.
unsure if any laws have been breached
It’s unclear if the America PAC has broken any Michigan laws.
Former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan Barbara McQuade was not persuaded that the PAC was inherently breaching any state laws. “I don’t know of any legal violations occurring,” McQuade stated via email on Sunday.
Partner at Plunkett Cooney Mary Massaron expressed concerns to CNBC via email, but she did not clarify if the PAC violated any state regulations.
“It is very troubling for any candidate or PAC funded project to deliberately fail to provide information or a link to register to vote when someone asks because they would potentially vote for the opposing candidates,” Massaron wrote in his email.
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