Special prosecutor declines to charge Musk over Wisconsin election payments
A Wisconsin special prosecutor declined to file criminal charges against Elon Musk over his 2025 Supreme Court election $1 million check controversy — citing insufficient evidence of a quid pro quo, easing a political-finance overhang.
The decision came roughly three weeks after Wisconsin's Elections Commission voted 5-1 to refer possible bribery violations to the Brown County district attorney, who appointed La Crosse County DA Tim Gruenke as special prosecutor due to a conflict of interest.
The case stemmed from a social media post Musk made during last year's Supreme Court campaign, saying entry to a rally was limited to those who voted in the race and that he would hand $1 million checks to two people in appreciation. Within 12 hours, he revised the post to tie entry to signing a petition against 'activist judges' instead of voting, with the checks going to two petition spokespeople.
Gruenke wrote that the original post was 'poorly worded and ambiguous' but was corrected 'relatively quickly,' and that nothing of value was ultimately given to anyone for voting — concluding a jury would not convict Musk once intent and the correction were considered.
The ruling has no direct bearing on Tesla's stock, but it removes one more headline-risk item tied to Musk's political activity.
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