Northeast
'Pulling an Alvin Bragg': Left-wing DA's 'flimsy' suit against Elon Musk's $1M giveaway slammed by expert
Left-wing Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner filed a lawsuit against tech billionaire Elon Musk over his $1 million giveaway amid the highly anticipated Pennsylvania election – a suit that is being slammed as riddled with legal issues by an expert.
“As a prosecutor for the city and county of Philadelphia, Krasner has no legal ability to prosecute anyone for alleged violations of federal law. So instead, he is pulling an Alvin Bragg by concocting a flimsy legal theory that Musk somehow is violating Pennsylvania’s lottery law,” Cully Stimson, deputy director of the Heritage Foundation’s Edwin Meese III Center of Center for Legal and Judicial Studies, wrote in a Daily Signal commentary piece published Monday.
Stimson compared the suit to Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg charging former President Trump with 34 counts of falsifying business records, which prosecutors linked during the spring 2024 trial to an election scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election. Trump was found guilty in the case, and has since maintained his innocence as legal experts rallied that the case was an “absolute joke” and “witch hunt” against the 45th president.
Krasner filed a lawsuit Monday against Musk and his super PAC, the America PAC, for “running an illegal lottery in Philadelphia” and across the state.
Musk announced earlier this month that voters in battleground states, such as Pennsylvania or Michigan, were eligible for a $1 million a day giveaway after signing the America PAC’s petition backing the Constitution. Musk endorsed Trump in July, and recently joined him on the campaign trail to rally support for his re-election bid, most notably in the key battleground state of Pennsylvania.
PHILADELPHIA DA LARRY KRASNER IMPEACHED BY PENNSYLVANIA LAWMAKERS IN GOP-LED EFFORT: ‘CRISIS OF CRIME’
The initiative outlines that it only applies to registered voters in the battleground states of Pennsylvania, Georgia, Nevada, Arizona, Wisconsin and North Carolina, and if they sign the petition.
“The First and Second Amendments guarantee freedom of speech and the right to bear arms. By signing below, I am pledging my support for the First and Second Amendments,” the petition reads.
HERE’S HOW ELON MUSK’S $1M A DAY GIVEAWAY TO BATTLEGROUND VOTERS WORKS
Musk has already announced winners for the giveaway, including one in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, on Saturday.
“Oct 22 – Nov 5: Each day, one petition signer from either PA, GA, NV, AZ, MI, WI, or NC will earn $1,000,000,” the America PAC website reads.
Stimson wrote that Krasner is “one of George Soros’ bought-and-paid-for district attorneys” who “doesn’t care about the law” and launched the suit to quench his alleged thirst “for media attention.”
“Musk isn’t paying individuals to register to vote; he is paying already-registered voters to sign a petition, which is entirely lawful,” Stimson explained.
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“In his civil complaint against Musk, Krasner asserts that by ‘lulling’ registered voters into giving their personal identifying information such as their postal address, cellphone number, and email address, voters have paid Musk consideration – as when a person gives a dollar to purchase a Mega Millions lottery ticket,” he continued.
In his suit, Krasner cited the 1976 case “Commonwealth v. Lane,” which detailed that under Pennsylvania law, a lottery is deemed unlawful under three elements: “(1) a prize to be won; (2) a winner to be determined by chance; and (3) the payment of a consideration by the player.”
Stimson said the first two elements are satisfied when considering the Musk giveaway, but “the third element is nowhere to be found.”
“Consideration is the payment of money, which is completely lacking in the Musk proposal. Registered voters didn’t pay money to sign the petition. Their personally identifiable information isn’t, under either the Lane case or state law, ‘consideration,’” Stimson explained.
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Stimson, whose background includes extensive investigations into “rogue” prosecutors who have politically benefited from donations made by left-wing billionaire George Soros, added in his commentary piece that it’s a “bit rich of Krasner to sue Musk, since the Philadelphia DA is a two-time violator of state campaign finance laws.”
Stimson cited previous research that found Krasner received $1.7 million from Soros-funded groups during his 2017 election, and an additional $1.25 million from the same groups during his 2021 re-election campaign.
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“In both races, he broke campaign finance laws and got into hot water with Philadelphia’s Board of Ethics.”
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported in 2019 that Krasner settled with the ethics board over accepting more than $11,000 in excess in-kind contributions from the Soros-backed Real Justice PAC. Krasner paid a $4,000 fine and agreed to reimburse the city for the excess in-kind contribution from the PAC, while the Real Justice PAC agreed to pay $8,000 in penalties.
Following his 2021 re-election, Krasner’s campaign and the Real Justice PAC again admitted to breaking campaign finance law. Krasner agreed to pay $10,000 in penalties, while the Real Justice PAC agreed to pay $30,000 in penalties, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported that year.
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“Krasner has been a disaster as Philadelphia’s district attorney,” Stimson wrote. “… Crime has exploded in Philly as a result of Krasner’s pro-criminal, anti-victim, cop-hating policies.”
“In the five years before he was elected, an average of 271 homicides occurred per year. Since he was elected in 2017, an average of 368 homicides per year have occurred – an ‘extra’ 97 dead bodies per year.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Krasner’s office for a response to Stimson’s arguments, but did not receive a reply.
Following Musk’s announcement of the giveaway this month, Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro set the stage that it would likely come under legal scrutiny.
“I think there are real questions with how he is spending money in this race, how the dark money is flowing, not just into Pennsylvania, but apparently now into the pockets of Pennsylvanians. That is deeply concerning,” Shapiro said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
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He continued, “Look, Musk, obviously has a right to be able to express his views, and he’s made it very, very clear that he supports Donald Trump, and we have a difference of opinion. I don’t deny him that right, but when you start flowing this kind of money into politics, I think it raises serious questions that folks may want to take a look at.”
“You think it might not be legal, yes or no?” host Kristen Welker asked.
Shapiro responded, “I think it’s something that law enforcement can take a look at.”
Musk announced the eighth winner of the giveaway on Saturday in Lancaster, home to Pennsylvania’s rolling hills dotted with Amish farms, where he again touted the petition backing the Constitution.
“We’re trying to get attention for this very important petition to support the Constitution. And, it’s like, if we, you know – we need the right to free speech; we need the right to bear arms,” Musk said at the rally in Lancaster.
“So we’re going to be giving out a million dollars every day through Nov. 5,” he continued. “And also, all you have to do is sign the petition in support of the First and Second Amendments. That’s it. You don’t even have to vote. It’d be nice if you voted, but you don’t have to. And then just basically sign something you already believe in, and you get a test to win a million dollars every day from now through the election.”
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Pennsylvania
Donald Trump gets warning sign among white voters in Pennsylvania
Former President Donald Trump may be facing unexpected challenges in Pennsylvania, where new polling shows a dip in his support among white voters—a crucial demographic in the battleground state.
According to the latest Fox News poll, conducted between October 24 and 28 among 1,310 registered voters in Pennsylvania, Trump is leading white voters by only 4 points, 52 percent to Vice President Kamala Harris’ 48 percent. The poll had a margin of error of plus or minus percentage points.
White voters are central to Trump’s base. In 2016, 54 percent of the demographic voted for him nationally, giving him a 15-point edge over Hillary Clinton, while 55 percent voted for him in 2020, giving him a 12-point advantage. His lead among white voters was just as large in Pennsylvania in 2020, when he won the demographic by 15 points, according to CNN exit polls.
But polls suggest Trump’s white voter base may be shrinking in Pennsylvania. According to AtlasIntel’s latest poll, conducted between October 25 and 29, Trump leads among white voters by just 6 points. The latest CNN/SSRS poll, conducted between October 23 and 28, showed Trump leading among white voters by just 4 points.
Meanwhile, Quinnipiac University’s latest poll, conducted between October 24 and 28, showed Trump leading among white voters by a larger margin, but still by a smaller amount than previous years, with an 11-point lead. Newsweek has contacted the Trump and Harris campaigns for comment via email.
With the national race tight, Trump’s narrowing base of white voters in Pennsylvania could jeopardize his path to victory in the state—and potentially in the overall election. Pennsylvania, with its 19 critical Electoral College votes, has historically been a bellwether, voting for the winning candidate in 48 of the past 59 elections.
Meanwhile, Pennsylvania’s population is predominantly white and working class, with this demographic making up 75 percent of the state’s residents—making it a crucial component of Trump’s base.
Overall, polls remain extremely tight in Pennsylvania. Harris was leading in the Keystone State after becoming the Democratic nominee, but in the last two weeks Trump has taken the lead, according to 538’s poll tracker, which shows Trump with a slim 0.4-point edge. Pollster Nate Silver’s data similarly puts Trump up by 0.6 points, while RealClearPolitics has him leading by 0.7 points.
But there is still potential for the state to flip in Harris’ favor following remarks by comedian Tony Hinchcliffe at Trump’s rally in Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday that sparked a firestorm of criticism and dominated news headlines.
Hinchcliffe joked that Puerto Rico was a “floating island of garbage.” While Trump campaign adviser Danielle Alvarez said Hinchcliffe’s controversial remarks “do not reflect the views of President Trump or the campaign,” the joke went over badly. The backlash could hit Trump especially hard in Pennsylvania—the swing state with the highest percentage of Puerto Rican residents with 3.7 percent of the population. In 2020, Joe Biden won the state by 1.2 points after Trump won it in 2016.
On the same day as the Madison Square Garden rally, Harris was in Allentown, Pennsylvania, and used the visit to release a video on her plan for Puerto Rico, which Puerto Rican music icon Bad Bunny shared on his Instagram account.
Early voting data from Pennsylvania shows that more Democrats than Republicans have voted, with registered Democrats making up 57 percent of early voters, compared with 32 percent for Republicans, according to the University of Florida’s early vote tracker. It is unclear what this means for the election since the early vote data reveals only whether voters are registered with a party, not who they are voting for.
Rhode Island
Body Found Near Bike Path In Cranston
CRANSTON, RI — A body was found near a bike path in Cranston on Wednesday morning, according to police.
Police said the man’s body was found at the bike path near Tongue Pond and Garfield Street. Cranston police have not identified the body.
Police said they called the Rhode Island Medical Examiner’s Office to determine the cause of death.
Find out what’s happening in Cranstonwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
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Vermont
Granville man charged in Vermont triple homicide to remain in jail
The Granville man accused of killing his father, stepmother and stepbrother is likely to remain in jail until trial.
Brian Crossman Jr., 22, is charged with three counts of murder in the deaths of 46-year-old Brian Crossman Sr.; 41-year-old Erica (Pawlusiak) Crossman; and his 13-year-old stepbrother Colin Taft. The murders took place early on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 15 at the family home on Vermont Route 133 in Pawlet, which is just over the border from Granville.
Crossman was due in court on Wednesday, Oct. 30 for a “weight of the evidence hearing.” However, our media partners at The Post-Star report that Crossman’s attorney has waived the hearing.
Rutland County State’s Attorney Ian Sullivan told the paper that the waiver means that Crossman will remain in jail. Sullivan said Crossman’s defense attorney, Daniel Maguire, reserves the right to reschedule the hearing and seek to be released on bail at a later date.
The court scheduled a status conference for Dec. 9 at 3 p.m. to set the schedule for discovery process to prepare for trial.
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