Billionaire Elon Musk has played a heavy hand in politics over the past year, and is apparently extremely invested in the outcome of the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court race.
While Musk has implemented programs that involve giveaways of large amounts of cash to voters in the state, according to reports, he recently deleted a post promising millions in payments to lucky Wisconsin voters.
The news came in the wake of a judge intervening and attempting to stop Musk from running the program.
It was reported that Musk deleted a post on Friday that promised $2 million in payments to two lucky Wisconsin voters just ahead of the upcoming Supreme Court race that has the state -- and the nation -- on edge.
Late Thursday evening, Musk rocked the social media world by announcing his plan to give out $2 million to two Wisconsin voters as a way of thanking them for voting, and promised to hold a rally in the state.
"I will also personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote," Musk wrote. He described the election as "super important."
Attendance at the event where the money would be given away was only open to Wisconsin voters who had voted, though it wasn't clear how he intended to verify a voter's voting status.
Reports noted:
Musk deleted the post approximately 12 hours later without explanation. Andrew Romeo, a spokesperson for Musk's political action committee, declined to comment on the deletion.
Not surprisingly, many different groups and individuals in the state cried foul, and sought immediate legal intervention to prevent Musk from holding the rally and giving away the large sums of money.
A bipartisan coalition of government watchdog groups, former officeholders, and a Madison-based law firm claimed in a letter to Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul and Milwaukee County District Attorney Kent Lovern that it amounted to "election bribery."
The Wisconsin Supreme Court battle has drawn national attention and resources, including an endorsement and backing from President Donald Trump for conservative candidate Brad Schimel.
"It’s a very important race," Trump said. "I know you feel it’s local, but it’s not. It’s really much more than local. The whole country is watching."
Schimel is running against ultra-leftist candidate Susan Crawford, who has the backing of former President Barack Obama and other high-profile Democratic Party players.
Only time will tell which side prevails in the swing state.
