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Musk won't face election bribery charges
Archived — this story has rotated out of today’s deck. It is kept here in full.
The gist
Wisconsin prosecutor Tim Gruenke declined to charge Elon Musk over $1 million voter offers. No jury would convict, so no election bribery charges filed.
Background
In March 2025, Elon Musk posted on X offering $1 million to voters in Wisconsin's Supreme Court election, then quickly revised the post to say the money was for petition signers. The Wisconsin Elections Commission referred the case to a special prosecutor, but La Crosse County DA Tim Gruenke decided not to file charges, citing lack of criminal intent and that no one was actually paid for voting.
How it unfolded
- Mar 30, 2025Musk posted on X offering $1 million to voters, then replaced it with a petition-signing requirement.
- Jul 2026Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 5-1 that Musk likely violated election bribery law and referred the case.
- Aug 25, 2026La Crosse County DA Tim Gruenke announced no charges, saying no jury would convict.
Who’s saying what
- Prosecutor
- Gruenke said the second post corrected the offer and nobody was paid for voting, so a conviction was unlikely.
- Elections Commission
- The bipartisan commission concluded Musk likely broke state law and referred the case for prosecution.
- Critics
- Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Crowley said he was 'befuddled' by the decision not to charge.