Musk PAC offers $100 to WI voters who sign petition against ‘activist judges’
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(WASHINGTON) — Elon Musk’s political action committee is offering Wisconsin voters $100 who sign a petition opposing “activist judges” ahead of the April 1 Wisconsin Supreme Court election, echoing the billionaire’s controversial cash giveaways during President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign.
The petition, promoted online and at in-person events by Musk’s America PAC, asks voters in the state to reject “activist judges who impose their own views.” Wisconsin voters who sign up are eligible to receive the $100, according to the PAC.
The petition’s language mirrors recent attacks by Musk and Trump on federal judges who have ruled against the administration. It reads: “Judges should interpret laws as written, not rewrite them to fit their personal or political agendas. By signing below, I’m rejecting the actions of activist judges who impose their own views and demanding a judiciary that respects its role — interpreting, not legislating.”
The petition also allows Musk’s team to collect voter data for get-out-the-vote efforts ahead of next month’s election.
The world’s richest man has used cash giveaways in past elections, including a controversial $1 million sweepstakes to voters in swing states who signed a second amendment petition in efforts to boost Trump’s chances.
So far, two political groups aligned with Musk — America PAC and Building America’s Future — have poured nearly $20 million into supporting Republican candidate Brad Schimel.
In a memo obtained by ABC News, Building America’s Future said that internal polling showed Schimel was “within striking distance” of Democratic candidate Susan Crawford. To pull ahead, Schimel needed to “consolidate the base and present Schimel as a pro-Trump conservative,” according to the memo.
(WASHINGTON) — A former Tennessee lawmaker who was once represented by White House Counsel David Warrington said he received a pardon from President Donald Trump after pleading guilty to an illegal campaign finance scheme in 2022.
The White House has not said anything publicly about former Sen. Brian Kelsey’s pardon, but sources familiar with the matter told ABC News that Trump signed the pardon paperwork on Tuesday.
The White House counsel’s office normally reviews presidential pardons, and it was not immediately clear if Warrington recused himself from his former client’s pardon.
Warrington was recused from the Kelsey matter and was not involved in any way, a White House official told ABC News.
Kelsey was two weeks into his 21-month prison sentence when he received the pardon. Bureau of Prisons records reflected that Kelsey was no longer in custody at FCI Ashland as of Tuesday.
According to federal prosecutors, Kelsey illegally funneled tens of thousands of dollars from his state campaign committee to a federal committee to fund his failed 2016 congressional campaign. He originally pleaded guilty to one felony before later withdrawing his plea while he was represented by Warrington.
“Defendant Brian Kelsey entered his plea agreement hastily with an unsure heart and confused mind,” Warrington wrote in a court filing, arguing Kelsey was confused when he decided to plead guilty after his father died and his wife gave birth to twins.
“The fog and sleep deprivation of taking care of his newborns while dealing with everything else in his life led to his confused mind. Once his mind began clearing, Mr. Kelsey acted quickly to seek to withdraw his plea,” he wrote.
But U.S. District Judge Waverly Crenshaw denied the request, finding that Kelsey – who attended law school and practiced law – understood his actions when he initially pleaded guilty. The Supreme Court denied his request to hear his case on in the summer of 2024. He was eventually sentenced to 21 months in prison, though he was allowed to delay serving his sentence while his appeal played out.
Kelsey reported to his minimum-security prison on Feb. 24, spending about two weeks behind bars before Trump issued his pardon. “Praise the Lord most high! May God bless America, despite the prosecutorial sins it committed against me, President Trump, and others the past four years. And God bless Donald J. Trump for Making America Great Again!” Kelsey wrote on social media.
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(NEW YORK) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams asked a federal judge on Monday to drop criminal corruption charges before a political deadline this week — trying to speed up a decision by the judge in the case.
The mayor wants the case dropped before petitions to get on the June primary ballot are due on April 3, according to his lawyer.
“Now, with the petition-filing deadline just days away, we respectfully urge the Court to issue its decision as soon as possible,” the mayor’s attorney, Alex Spiro, said in a letter to Judge Dale Ho.
The Justice Department has asked the judge to dismiss the charges without prejudice to free Adams to cooperate with President Donald Trump’s immigration agenda. Without prejudice means the charges could resurface.
Ho accepted a legal brief urging him to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning it could not be revived, eliminating an incentive for the mayor to bow to administration demands.
Adams pleaded not guilty in federal court last September to charges related to an alleged conspiracy with Turkish nationals that landed him lavish gifts in exchange for beneficial treatment.
Trump’s Justice Department asked in February to dismiss the charges, a move that caused several prosecutors to step down in protest, including the Trump-appointed interim U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Danielle Sassoon, who alleged a quid pro quo.
“It is a breathtaking and dangerous precedent to reward Adams’s opportunistic and shifting commitments on immigration and other policy matters with dismissal of a criminal indictment,” Sassoon wrote at the time. “Nor will a court likely find that such an improper exchange is consistent with the public interest.”
(TALLAHASSEE, FL) — A pair of special elections in Florida for the U.S. House of Representatives on Tuesday to fill vacancies left by former Republican Reps. Mike Waltz and Matt Gaetz has heated up in recent weeks — especially in the 6th District where Waltz served.
Both lawmakers resigned to join the Trump administration, although Gaetz withdrew his nomination as attorney general when it became clear that he did not have sufficient support in the Senate to become confirmed.
Ahead of the election, Republicans have 218 seats in the House, while Democrats have 213; four seats are vacant. Republicans can only afford to lose two votes before losing their majority for a vote on the House floor.
While Republicans will hold on to their majority regardless of the results in Florida, the election comes amid concerns over maintaining that power — a concern that spilled into the public when President Donald Trump recently asked Rep. Elise Stefanik to withdraw from her nomination as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations rather than give up her seat.
One of the Florida races is in play more than expected, with uncertainty among some Republicans over whether their candidate in the 6th District, state Sen. Randy Fine, can keep the seat safely in Republican hands, given that he has lagged far behind the Democratic candidate, teacher and progressive Josh Weil, in fundraising.
Thus, while the Republicans are favored to win in each district, given that both were ruby-red in 2024, some have speculated that the margin between the Republicans and Democrats in at least the 6th District could be tighter than anticipated.
Special elections usually have lower turnout than on-cycle elections and turnout and results can be tough to predict.
On the fundraising front, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, Fine has raised or received around $987,000 from late November 2024 through mid-March, while Weil has raised or received more than $9 million since Oct. 1, 2024 through mid-March. Fine also donated $600,000 to himself, according to later filings.
Weil’s campaign has spent more than $8 million of what he’s raised, per the filings; Fine’s campaign had also spent much of its cash on hand before his donations to himself.
But Fine does have Trump’s strong endorsement.
Weil’s campaign has spent more than $8 million of what he’s raised, per the filings; Fine’s campaign had also spent much of its cash on hand before his donations to himself.
But Fine does have Trump’s strong endorsement.
Trump said on Thursday of Fine: “He will be there whenever I need him, and he wants to be there whenever we need him. He wants to be there for you.”
Fine has expressed confidence. He told ABC News Live anchor Diane Macedo on Monday, “We’re doing great,” and later added, “What we’re seeing is angry Democrats, and Republicans having to understand what’s at stake.”
Weil, who was endorsed by Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., on Friday, told ABC News Live Prime anchor Linsey Davis on Monday night, “People want someone who will fight for them in Washington and that’s what we’re offering.”
He said that Sanders’ endorsement, which Fine had criticized, seemed to be an asset when talking to voters who appreciated the senator’s message.
In the special election in Florida’s 1st District, located at the westernmost part of the Panhandle, Republican candidate Jimmy Patronis, Florida’s chief financial officer, is facing Democratic candidate Gay Valimont, a gun violence-prevention activist. Valimont was the Democratic nominee in 2024, losing to Gaetz by over 30 percentage points.
Trump has also thrown his support behind Patronis.
The president said in a telephone rally on Thursday, “Jimmy’s done an outstanding job as the Chief Financial Officer of the state of Florida, helping to guide your state to tremendous economic success. And now he wants to keep on fighting for Florida in Congress, and he’s going to do that, and he’ll vote to defend Social Security, protect Medicare, all these things … under great danger with the Democrats.”
Patronis, speaking after Trump, told listeners, “Look, if you’re not fired up to hearing the president right now, then you need to get your pulse checked with President Trump and the White House. A Republican majority in Congress, we have a once in a lifetime opportunity to transform this country.”
Meanwhile, Valimont has raised more than Patronis, per Federal Election Commission filings — which show Valimont has raised around $6 million while Patronis raised around $2 million.
“In Congress, I will show Florida’s 1st District what it looks like when the government truly works for the people and our needs,” Valimont wrote on Monday.
-ABC News’ John Parkinson, Lauren Peller and Hannah Demissie contributed to this report.
