<p>A Wisconsin district attorney has decided not to pursue criminal charges against Tesla CEO Elon Musk over allegations of bribery related to the state’s 2025 Supreme Court elections.</p>
<p>Democratic La Crosse County District Attorney Tim Gruenke stated that he did not believe he could secure a jury verdict on bribery charges involving Musk, who allegedly gave away $1 million to two voters during the 2025 race. At a March 2025 event in Green Bay, Musk handed out two $1 million checks to Wisconsinites who signed his America PAC petition against "activist judges," which led to controversy and a lawsuit from opposing groups.</p>
<p>“Nobody was paid anything of value for voting or promising to vote,” Gruenke wrote on Tuesday, according to local news outlet WBAY.</p>
<p>Prior to the event, Musk made two posts on X, which influenced Gruenke's decision. Musk's first post stated, “On Sunday night, I will give a talk in Wisconsin. Entrance is limited to those who have voted in the Supreme Court Election. I will personally hand over two checks for a million dollars each in appreciation for you taking the time to vote. This is super important.” This post was removed about 12 hours later and replaced with a second post.</p>
<p>In the second post, Musk clarified, “On Sunday night, I will give a talk in Wisconsin. To clarify a previous post, entrance is limited to those who have signed the petition in opposition to activist judges. I will also hand over checks for a million dollars to 2 people to be spokesmen for the petition.”</p>
<p>Gruenke described the first post as “poorly worded and ambiguous,” but did not find issue with the second. He noted, “Even if I could convince a jury that the original post was still a bribe, I do not believe a jury would convict Elon Musk of a crime after considering the intent, the second post, and the fact nothing of value was even given to anyone for voting,” according to the outlet.</p>
<p>In the Supreme Court election, Musk supported conservative judge candidate Brad Schimel, who ultimately lost to liberal candidate Susan Crawford. Crawford’s election preserved the liberal majority on the Supreme Court, as Schimel's election would have shifted the balance to a conservative majority.</p>