Special Prosecutor Declines Bribery Charges Against Elon Musk

Special prosecutor Tim Gruenke announced Tuesday that he will not file criminal charges against Elon Musk for alleged bribery during the 2025 Wisconsin Supreme Court election. The decision follows a 5-1 vote by the Wisconsin Elections Commission, which found probable cause that Musk violated state election bribery laws via social media posts made in March 2025.

Musk initially promised two $1 million checks to individuals who had voted. He later amended the posts to state that attendance at a Green Bay event was limited to those who signed a petition against activist judges and that the funds would go to spokespeople for that petition. Gruenke concluded that because no one was actually paid for voting, a jury would likely not convict Musk, describing the incident as a poorly worded statement that was corrected to comply with the law.

Musk spent at least $20 million supporting candidate Brad Schimel, who lost to Democratic-supported Susan Crawford in the most expensive judicial race in U.S. history. State Representative Amaad Rivera-Wagner criticized the decision as evidence of a two-tier justice system. While Musk avoids criminal prosecution, he remains the subject of a civil lawsuit filed by the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, a nonprofit campaign finance watchdog group.