Yeah, I’m aware that corporations are now people; that doesn’t make quid-pro-quo legal.
If I’m a politician, and we’re in a room together, and I say, “if you donate a million dollars to my campaign I’ll vote in your favor,” and you do, and I do, and the conversation was recorded - that’s a reasonably prosecutable quid-pro-quo case, isn’t it?
Because Republicans consider it simple expression. So donations totally just saying you support the person and definitely not legal bribery
As Kennedy wrote, “If the First Amendment has any force, it prohibits Congress from fining or jailing citizens, or associations of citizens, for simply engaging in political speech.”
Hm. Quid pro quo is definitely illegal, and prosecutable. You’re saying that because I say “I promise to give you X if you pay me Y” while I’m campaigning, that I’m protected from prosecution? Do I have to be actively campaigning? Does it have to be before a crowd? Can I – as a politician – sit in a room and promise to hand something to a “donor” simply by wrapping the conversation in some campaign-ish wording? Is “I was campaigning for office when I took the bribe” a catch-all defense?
Yeah, I’m aware that corporations are now people; that doesn’t make quid-pro-quo legal.
If I’m a politician, and we’re in a room together, and I say, “if you donate a million dollars to my campaign I’ll vote in your favor,” and you do, and I do, and the conversation was recorded - that’s a reasonably prosecutable quid-pro-quo case, isn’t it?
Because Republicans consider it simple expression. So donations totally just saying you support the person and definitely not legal bribery
Hm. Quid pro quo is definitely illegal, and prosecutable. You’re saying that because I say “I promise to give you X if you pay me Y” while I’m campaigning, that I’m protected from prosecution? Do I have to be actively campaigning? Does it have to be before a crowd? Can I – as a politician – sit in a room and promise to hand something to a “donor” simply by wrapping the conversation in some campaign-ish wording? Is “I was campaigning for office when I took the bribe” a catch-all defense?