Philly DA says Elon Musk sparked an ‘avalanche’ of inflammatory posts about him after lawsuit
Top prosecutor Larry Krasner has asked for additional security at an upcoming hearing in his suit against Musk, saying some posts on social media are “inviting political violence.”
Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner has asked for additional security at a forthcoming hearing in his lawsuit challenging Elon Musk’s $1 million daily giveaway to voters, saying that in the days since the suit was filed, users on social media have published “an avalanche” of inflammatory posts about him, including “antisemitic attacks” and, in one instance, sharing his home address and “inviting political violence.”
In a document filed in the case Wednesday, Krasner’s attorneys said the wave of activity began shortly after Musk — who owns the social media site X — promoted a post on the site from another user that questioned Krasner’s motives for filing the suit.
Krasner, a Democrat, has argued that Musk’s controversial sweepstakes — which is run by the tech billionaire’s America PAC, a group that supports Republican nominee Donald Trump — amounts to an illegal lottery that skirts state requirements and violates consumer protection laws. Krasner has asked a city judge to stop the giveaway from being awarded in Pennsylvania before next week’s election.
On Monday afternoon, shortly after the suit was filed, Musk, on X, effectively endorsed a post saying that Krasner “knows [the contest] is not illegal but wants a leftist judge to stop it before election day.”
That post racked up nearly 9 million views, Krasner’s attorneys said. And the replies to it included some derogatory comments about the fact that Krasner is Jewish, and posts that shared Krasner’s home address along with a message that he “loves visitors. Mask up and leave all cellphones at home.”
Krasner’s attorneys called that particular post “unquestionably criminal.”
An attorney for America PAC did not immediately reply to a request for comment Wednesday evening.
A hearing in the case is set for Thursday morning before Common Pleas Court Judge Angelo Foglietta, who was elected to the bench as a Democrat in 2011. His order scheduling Thursday’s hearing did not address Krasner’s request for additional security.
Krasner’s suit was the first legal action challenging the controversial giveaway launched earlier this month by Musk’s PAC. It came a week after the U.S. Justice Department warned that it violated federal laws banning inducements to voters, but took a different approach, arguing that Musk’s giveaways were a lottery, which under Pennsylvania law can be run only by the state and for the benefit of seniors living there.
“America PAC and Musk hatched their illegal lottery scheme to influence voters in that election,” Krasner’s lawyers wrote. They also said Musk’s contest violated Pennsylvania’s consumer protection laws by failing to publish detailed lottery rules or demonstrate how participants’ personal information was being protected.
So far, Musk has ignored warnings about the legal questions surrounding his contest and continued doling out awards to registered voters in seven battleground states. His PAC posted a video of another winner, from North Carolina, holding an oversize check Wednesday afternoon.
Musk has defended the sweepstakes by saying it is simply a petition to support the Constitution, not an inducement to vote or register in support of any specific candidate.
His attorneys have not responded in substance to Krasner’s accusations in the suit.