People keep asking “Isn’t bribery illegal??”, well, actually, it is. Sounds to me like half of Congress could end up in the slammer!!
USC Title 18, Ch 11, Sec 201...
(b) Whoever—
(1) directly or indirectly, corruptly gives, offers or promises anything of value to any public official or person who has been selected to be a public official, or offers or promises any public official or any person who has been selected to be a public official to give anything of value to any other person or entity, with intent—
(A) to influence any official act; or
(B) to influence such public official or person who has been selected to be a public official to commit or aid in committing, or collude in, or allow, any fraud, or make opportunity for the commission of any fraud, on the United States; or
(C) to induce such public official or such person who has been selected to be a public official to do or omit to do any act in violation of the lawful duty of such official or person;
shall be fined under this title or not more than three times the monetary equivalent of the thing of value, whichever is greater, or imprisoned for not more than fifteen years, or both, and may be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.
It depends upon what the "anything of value means".
Would securing bribes for one's home state enhance the ability to get reelected to office?
I think you might just be onto something.
Breaking it down to the relevant parts of:
USC Title 18, Ch 11, Sec 201...
“(b) Whoever—
(1) ... promises any public official....to give anything of value to any other person or entity, with intent—
(A) to influence any official act.....
shall be fined under this title or not more than three times the monetary equivalent of the thing of value, whichever is greater, or imprisoned for not more than fifteen years, or both, and may be disqualified from holding any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States.”
My reading of this would be that the “whoever” the statute applies to is Harry Reid, plus possibly any of his aides and compatriots who were in the meetings with Landrieu and/or Nelson.
Time for a few Republican lawyers to take a few swings at bat for once. The statute seems pretty clear, and anyone with half a brain knows that outright bribery is taking place to buy these votes. After all, these aren’t just policy changes that are being negotiated; these are money transfers from one pocket to another. I’d love to hear what a judge would make of this entire affair.