A billionaire-backed political action committee Elon Musk is investigated by Michigan amid efforts to gather voter information by the secretary of state.
Musk, CEO Tesla and SpaceXhe said was created and helped the fund America PAC, which supports the former president Donald Trump. Musk’s fortune is more than 225 billion dollars Forbes.
The committee receives detailed voter information from Michigan and other battleground residents after people submit their personal information through the “register to vote” section of the PAC’s website.
After clicking the “register to vote” tab on America PAC’s website, users in states like Michigan can provide their zip code, address and phone number. People with a Michigan address are brought to a page that says “thank you” and asks users to “fill out the form below” to complete the voter registration process. By Sunday afternoon, there was no other form to complete below the words “thank you.”
“Every citizen should know exactly how their personal information is being used by PACs, especially if the organization claims to help people register to vote in Michigan or any other state,” said a spokesperson for the Michigan Secretary of State’s office. to CNBC.
“Although America PAC is a federal political action committee, the Department reviews their activities to determine whether there are violations of state law. We will refer potential violations to the Michigan Attorney General’s office as appropriate,” the spokesperson added.
First, CNBC informed about the group’s efforts and how the site doesn’t directly register people to vote for those with a swing state address.
A person with direct knowledge of the PAC’s operations told CNBC that links on the website were working properly after the group registered with the Federal Election Commission in May, but now acknowledges that they are not.
The group plans to launch a new website in the coming weeks, the person explained. The person declined to be named in order to speak freely about personal matters.
A spokeswoman for America PAC declined to comment. Musk did not respond to emails seeking comment.
Jocelyn BensonA Democrat, he is the Michigan Secretary of State and the state’s top election official. He has been a staunch opponent of election misinformation and has taken it upon himself statements like this designed by former President Donald Trump.
The Republican National Committee has sued Benson and other Michigan Democrats at least twice this year, according to legal filings.
It is not clear that any laws were broken
It is not clear that any laws in Michigan were violated by American PAC.
Barbara McQuade, who once served as the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, wasn’t convinced the PAC necessarily violated any state laws. “I am not aware of any violations of law,” McQuade said in an email Sunday.
Mary Massaron, a partner at the law firm Plunkett Cooney, expressed her concerns in an email to CNBC, but did not say whether the PAC could be violating state law.
“Any candidate or PAC-funded project failing to provide information or a link to get someone to vote because they’re asking if they can potentially vote for opposing candidates is an intentional failure,” Massaron said.