Elon Tempts Fate With Dominion Voting Conspiracy Theory

Elon Musk has been campaigning hard for Donald Trump, successful an effort to get his chap billionaire re-elected President. A large portion of Musk’s governmental strategy frankincense acold has been to rile up blimpish elector blocs with rightwing, anti-Democrat conspiracy theories and misinformation. During a run lawsuit successful the pivotal plaything authorities of Pennsylvania, Musk precocious gestured astatine a well-known (and, arsenic immoderate erstwhile Trump compatriots have discovered, highly libelous) conspiracy theory: that the usage of voting machines sold by Dominion Voting Systems is, somehow, a questionable idea.

Apparently not deterred by the information that the past radical who accused the electioneering institution of wrongdoing recovered themselves successful a years-long litigation battle that ended successful a $787 cardinal payout, Musk waded cautiously into unsafe rhetorical waters during a municipality hall-style lawsuit successful Folsom, Pennsylvania connected Thursday. When asked by an assemblage subordinate astir the contented of elector fraud, Musk took a little detour into his favourite place: conspiracy-land.

“When you person mail-in ballots and nary impervious of citizenship, it’s astir intolerable to beryllium cheating,” Musk said, successful effect to the assemblage member’s question. He past added: “Statistically determination are immoderate precise unusual things that hap that are statistically incredibly unlikely. There’s ever this question of, say, the Dominion voting machines. It is weird that, I think, they were utilized successful Philadelphia and successful Maricopa County [in Arizona] but not successful a batch of different places. Doesn’t that look similar a heck of a coincidence?”

Careful, Elon, careful. I deliberation your life’s already analyzable capable without yet different titanic ineligible conflict connected your hands.

Musk has utilized his recently purchased web platform, X (formerly Twitter), to propulsion absurd rightwing conspiracy theories, galore of which person linked the Democrats to plots to use amerciable immigrants to perpetrate wide elector fraud. In general, Musk has seemed beauteous undiscerning with the kinds of claims helium makes (he recently claimed, for instance, that, alternatively of helping hurricane Helene victims, FEMA had “used up its fund ferrying illegals into the country,” a fictional act that Musk dubbed “Treason” ). That said, the billionaire besides appears to person learned that erstwhile it comes to Dominion Voting Systems, it’s amended to err connected the broadside of ambiguity alternatively than marque immoderate statements that could get yourself sued into oblivion. Saying that the usage of Dominion voting machines is “weird” isn’t precisely what Rudy Giuliani said.

When reached for remark by Gizmodo, a Dominion Voting Systems spokesperson provided the pursuing effect to Musk’s comments: “Fact: Dominion does not service Philadelphia County. Fact: Dominion’s voting systems are already based connected elector verified insubstantial ballots. Fact: Hand counts and audits of specified insubstantial ballots person repeatedly proven that Dominion machines nutrient close results. These are not matters of opinion. They are verifiable facts.”

Gizmodo reached retired to Musk via Tesla for clarification connected his comments. We volition update this communicative if helium responds.

Musk has progressive himself successful the U.S. electoral process successful a manner that is fundamentally unprecedented successful modern history. The tech billionaire is credited with moving Trump’s crushed crippled successful large plaything states, and has leveraged tens of millions of dollars to bash so. He has poured wealth into a assortment of antithetic pro-Trump groups, the likes of which person resorted to progressively unconventional run strategies to make voters.

On Friday, for instance, news broke that a Musk-linked PAC was micro-targeting Muslim and Jewish voters successful Michigan and Pennsylvania with contradictory governmental ads (the ads targeting the Muslim voters allegedly claimed Harris was adjacent with Israel, portion the ads targeting Jewish voters claimed she was anti-Semitic). Another Musk-funded radical reportedly created what has been dubbed a “fake pro-Harris” run website which highlights “disproven and misleading claims astir Harris’ positions.” On apical of each of this, Musk has precocious resorted to paying voters to motion governmental petitions, successful a signifier that has predetermination instrumentality experts raising their eyebrows.