'Incredible Story of Corruption': Bombshell Report Puts Susan Collins at Center of Massive Bribery Scheme | Common Dreams
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ProPublica reported that the US senator from Maine, now running for a sixth term, was the "most important patron" of a defense company accused of bribing members of Congress for federal contracts.

Of all the politicians Navatek courted under Kao’s leadership, [Senator Dusan] Collins was its most important patron,” the investigative outlet reported. “The senator’s office steered government contracts worth millions toward the company while her campaign was pumping Kao and his network for donations, according to emails seen by ProPublica. Sometimes they cut checks within 24 hours of the annual defense spending bill, which funds military contracts, clearing a key Senate hurdle.”

  • frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io
    98·
    2 days ago

    Didn’t SCOTUS pretty much rule that bribery isn’t bribery unless you use the proper incantation or something? This just looks like standard politics post-Citizens United.

    • Manjushri@piefed.socialEnglish
      68·
      2 days ago

      Pretty much. They said that it’s not really bribery if you call it a tip.

      Justice Brett Kavanaugh, writing for the majority, noted that criminalizing the acceptance of gratuities would raise federalism concerns since state and local governments “have the prerogative” to regulate their officials’ acceptance of gratuities. Disrupting those state and local governments’ “carefully calibrated policy decisions,” he wrote, would “significantly infringe on bedrock federalism principles.”

      It’s just a tip, bro!

        • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
          9·
          2 days ago

          I mean, the fact that the pay for play took place at a meeting in 2019 and the other guy got sent to prison in 2022 but nothing ever happened to her makes it pretty clear no prosecutor was ever going to be allowed to even try going after her anyway

    • treadful@lemmy.zipEnglish
      191·
      2 days ago

      Looks like this was a PAC, not a Super PAC. Though even if it was the latter, they legally cannot organize with the campaign.

      But all that means shit if the DoJ won’t do a thing about it.

        • Freeposity@lemmy.worldEnglish
          11·
          2 days ago

          The courts will have to judge on a case by case basis and if you’re a Republican defendant then you can take it to the Supreme court for them to find you innocent, or slow walk the decision until after the election in which it all becomes all moot.

          But if you’re a Democrat and make it to the Supreme court, they will rule against you swiftly via the shadow docket.

          • frustrated_phagocytosis@fedia.io
            7·
            2 days ago

            Democrat: organizing with campaign if you exist in the same zip code at any point GOP: organizing only if you crawl into the voting booth with candidate

      • Burn_The_Right@lemmy.today
        42·
        2 days ago

        Merrick Garland’s DOJ wouldn’t have done anything about it either. The Dem party leadership has historically been controlled opposition. This is what happens when conservatives run both parties. Bribes and concentration camps become normal.

    • Freeposity@lemmy.worldEnglish
      6·
      2 days ago

      Yes, if you’re a public servant you have to have someone stand proudly and say in a clear voice, “I’d like to give you a bribe, in fact I’d like a French tickler”. Then you have to say, “I accept your bribe”.