Successful businessman, my eye! He’s probably been bribing and stealing his whole damn life. You don’t suddenly wake up and become a dishonest pol. The seeds are sown much earlier.
Successful businessman = Affirmative Action Beneficiary
Can you even imagine a successful (legit) businessman falling for $48K in bribes? If he’s that successful, $48K is chump change; the temptation would hardly be worth the consequences.