Topline
A super PAC spearheaded by Tesla CEO Elon Musk supporting former President Donald Trump is under investigation by the Michigan Secretary of State’s office for how it collects voter data, Secretary Jocelyn Benson confirmed Sunday, as the billionaire-funded political action committee has already faced issues less than two months into its inception.
Elon Musk speaks at the Cannes Lions International Festival Of Creativity on June 19 in Cannes, … [+]
Key Facts
America PAC is a new super PAC founded by tech industry donors, which was first formed in May and had raised $8.75 million as of the end of June, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
While FEC filings don’t yet show any donations by Musk to the PAC, the Telsa founder has publicly said he founded the PAC and plans to make “some donations” to it, though he denied initial reports suggesting he would contribute $45 million per month.
The PAC came under scrutiny after CNBC reported Friday a link on the group’s website directing supporters to register to vote for the most part doesn’t actually do so, but rather just collects information about them.
CNBC discovered if a user lists a zip code in a battleground state, the website leads them to a detailed form asking for much more personal information than if they report being in a non-competitive state—in which case they still aren’t actually registered to vote, though for some non-battleground state zip codes the PAC does lead them to an official voter registration link.
A spokesperson for Benson said in a statement Sunday the Democratic state official is “reviewing [the PAC’s] activities to determine if there have been any violations of state law.”
Benson confirmed those reports, tweeting a saluting emoji Sunday and saying her and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel, also a Democrat, “take intentional efforts to mislead voters very seriously.”
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Contra
America PAC removed its links to the voter registration page on its website’s homepage after the issue was reported, CNBC reporter Brian Schwartz, who reported the voter registration page, noted on X, but the PAC has not yet responded to a request for further comment. The voter registration link also now features a popup window noting “was brought to our attention on August 2 that some people may have been unable to complete the registration process on this website on August 1 and 2.” The popup directs users to try again or contact the PAC if they faced issues in registering to vote, though the registration form still faced the same issues in not properly directing voters as of Monday morning. Citing an anonymous source with knowledge of America PAC’s operations, CNBC reports the voter registration page previously used to be functional for registering voters, but the source acknowledged it no longer is, though the PAC intends to overhaul its website in the coming weeks.
What We Don’t Know
What laws, if any, America PAC could have violated through its voter registration link. Legal experts cited by CNBC Sunday suggested it was unclear what laws the data collection efforts could have violated, though lawyer Mary Massaron noted it was “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.”
Tangent
The data collection probe comes as America PAC was already facing scrutiny into its operations. The New York Times reported July 31 the PAC’s ground game was already in “disarray,” as it abruptly ended its relationship with the company hired to run its canvassing operations after already paying it $15 million. The move left staffers stranded across the country after they were deployed to work on the PAC’s behalf and then suddenly terminated. Musk is also separately facing controversy, as five secretaries of state sent him a letter Monday after X’s AI chatbot Grok shared false information suggesting Kamala Harris won’t appear on some state ballots.
Who’s Supporting America Pac?
The Times reports America PAC was initially led by Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale, a venture capitalist and “political confidant” to Musk, but has more recently had a shakeup of its leadership. Its operations are now reportedly being helmed by Republican operative Phil Cox, who helped run Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ political operation, along with other ex-DeSantis aides, according to the Times. FEC filings through the end of June show the PAC received an influx of donations from billionaires in June, including Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss, Valor Equity Partners founder Antonio Gracias, venture capitalist Douglas Leone, Jimmy John’s founder Jimmy John Liautaud and coal industry billionaire Joseph Craft. Other major initial supporters include investor Kenneth Howery, Lookout Mobile Security co-founder John Hering and Jack Link’s Beef Jerky CEO Troy Link, according to FEC filings. It won’t be clear who else may have donated to the PAC in July until the PAC’s next filings are made public, likely in October.
Surprising Fact
The Times reports America PAC is discussing sharing data with the Trump campaign directly. While super PACs are typically not allowed to coordinate directly with campaigns, a FEC advisory opinion released in March clarified that doesn’t apply to door-to-door canvassing efforts—since they’re not public communications like advertising is—so PACs can discuss voter data and other information with campaigns as it pertains to canvassing efforts. The PACs can’t give any data it collects on donors to campaigns for free or below market rate without it being considered a political donation, however, which would be subject to limits on contributions.
Crucial Quote
Musk said on a podcast appearance in July the “intent [of Save America PAC] is to promote the principles that made America great in the first place,” later adding on X “the key values of the PAC are supporting a meritocracy & individual freedom,” and “Republicans are mostly, but not entirely, on the side of merit & freedom.”
Forbes Valuation
Forbes values Musk’s net worth at $222.5 billion as of Monday morning, making him the richest person in the world.
Key Background
Musk formally endorsed Trump right after the assassination attempt on the ex-president in July, tweeting he “fully endorse[s] President Trump and hope for his rapid recovery.” The endorsement and PAC founding marked somewhat of an about-face for Musk, who previously said in March he was not donating to either candidate in the 2024 race, though he also recently met with Trump and his views have been trending toward the right in recent years. The Tesla CEO follows a number of billionaires who had already thrown their support behind Trump, with top donors including Linda McMahon, wife of wrestling mogul Vince McMahon; energy executive Kelcy Warren; ABC Supply founder Diane Hendricks; oil billionaire Timothy Dunn and well-known conservative donors Richard and Elizabeth Uihlein. Trump’s biggest donor is billionaire heir Timothy Mellon, who has given $75 million to groups supporting the ex-president. The billionaires’ donations come as a help to the former president as he works to combat a fundraising gap between him and Vice President Kamala Harris, who raised three times as much money as Trump in July, according to initial reports by the campaigns.
