Musk's sweepstakes winners were vetted, signed NDAs: Political adviser
Before announcing the winners of Elon Musk's $1 million giveaway, America PAC employees conducted background checks on them, vetted their social media and had them sign non-disclosure agreements, Elon Musk's political adviser Chris Young testified during an ongoing hearing in Philadelphia on Monday.
The inside look at how winners were selected is at odds with how Musk himself described the "random" selection process.
"Were you surprised that he used the word 'randomly'?" Philadelphia District Attorney Larry Krasner’s attorney, John Summers, asked.
"That's not the word I would have selected," Young said.
Young testified that he reviewed candidates based on the location of Musk's next rally before vetting the people who signed America PAC's petition in support of the First and Second amendments.
"I essentially used the petition like a job application," Young said, with America PAC considering the number of eligible voters that the candidate referred to the petition, their personality and social media history.
According to Young, Musk was notified when a candidate was selected. Young also said that winners signed non-disclosure agreements preventing them from talking publicly about their "consulting agreements."
While the testimony contradicts Musk's public statements, Young insisted that the winners "earned" their money by doing work on behalf of the PAC, seemingly supporting the defense argument that the giveaway is not an illegal lottery.
"Anyone who participated in the program knew what they were entitled to for their participation in the program," Young said.
Closing arguments in the hearing will happen after a brief break.
-ABC News' Peter Charalambous