July 17, 2026, 2:58 p.m. CT
A contingent of northeastern Wisconsin Democrats and activists are pressing Brown County District Attorney David Lasee to prosecute Elon Musk, following the state election commission’s conclusion that he likely violated anti-bribery laws in the 2025 state Supreme Court election.
The bipartisan Wisconsin Elections Commission has concluded that a post by Musk from March 2025, offering the chance at $1 million checks during a visit to Green Bay to signatories of his “Petition In Opposition to Activist Judges,” was to induce people to vote in the election. The commission determined in a 5-1 vote that the post likely violated state laws against bribery, and referred two complaints for Lasee’s review.
At a July 17 news conference in Brown County Courthouse, state Reps. Amaad Rivera-Wagner, D-Green Bay, and Lee Snodgrass, D-Appleton, called for Lasee to take up the complaints. They argued that pressing charges was a matter of ensuring equal treatment under the law.
Responding to a question from the Green Bay Press-Gazette, the representatives said they have not reached out to Lasee’s office about their wishes for charges to be pressed. Rivera-Wagner said they did not wish to interfere in the legal process. He rejected the idea that their urging was a matter of politics.
“We should agree that it’s one person, one vote, and your money should not be able to buy you access,” Rivera-Wagner told reporters. “And so that is why I think we want charges to be brought.”
Snodgrass said, “With just four months to go before the midterms, we must send a message, loud and clear, that Wisconsin’s votes are not for sale.”
They appeared at a news conference alongside Rachel Maes, an assistant Green Bay city attorney and Brown County Board member who identified herself as one of the complainants. Maes read a copy of her complaint, which detailed the content and context of Musk’s post, called it a “bribe offer inducing Wisconsinites to vote” and had a screenshot attached.
“I did what I thought was right,” Maes said. “It’s important to emphasize that even if you are a trillionaire, Wisconsin has integrity, and a trillion dollars can’t buy our integrity.”
Lasee declined to answer questions and a request for comment from the Press-Gazette.
Some lawyers and Wisconsin Democrats have previously suggested that Musk’s posts amounted to breaking the law, spurring attempts at legal action and legislation.
Several days before Musk’s planned payments, Wisconsin’s Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul asked the liberal-controlled state Supreme Court to block the payments. The court declined.
Musk campaigned March 30, 2025, in Green Bay for Wisconsin Supreme Court candidate Brad Schimel. He handed out two $1 million checks during the event to those he said signed a petition opposing “activist judges.”
A separate lawsuit in Brown County court also alleges Musk’s actions “creates the risk that Wisconsin elections will become an open auction.” Other election sweepstakes by Musk in swing states during the 2024 presidential election had overcome similar legal challenges in Pennsylvania.
At the time, Rivera-Wagner and Snodgrass announced in front of the Brown County Courthouse they would introduce legislation to tighten the state’s anti-bribery laws, expanding the law to specifically mention petition-signing. The bill was not taken up in the past legislative session.
The Republican Party of Wisconsin did not immediately respond to questions from the Press-Gazette.
Jesse Lin is a reporter covering the community of Green Bay and its surroundings, as well as politics in northeastern Wisconsin. He also writes a weekly column answering reader questions about Green Bay. Contact and send him questions at 920-834-4250 or jlin@usatodayco.com.
