What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign
What Trump promised oil CEOs as he asked them to steer $1 billion to his campaign
Trump’s response stunned several of the executives in the room overlooking the ocean: You all are wealthy enough, he said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe a private conversation.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2024/05/09/trump-oil-industry-campaign-money/
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Alex Witt, a senior adviser for oil and gas with Climate Power, said Trump’s promise is he will do whatever the oil industry wants if they support him. With Trump, Witt said, “everything has a price.”
Isn't this a quid pro quo? Give my campaign a billion dollars and I'll do this stuff for you? Everything has a price?
In 1976, announcing the Supreme Court's landmark Buckley v. Valeo decision, Chief Justice Warren Burger set this standard for corruption: "the reality & appearance of improper influence stemming from the dependence of candidates on large campaign contributions."
The current chief justice, John Roberts, had led an effort to tighten that broad language. Roberts, delivering the McCutcheon v. FEC ruling last year, defined corruption as "a contribution to a particular candidate in exchange for his agreeing to do a particular act within his official duties."
He was describing a quid pro quo – the donor's money in explicit exchange for the politician's official favor. It's a felony.
Just to be clear, John Roberts, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the USA defined corruption as "a contribution to a particular candidate in exchange for his agreeing to do a particular act within his official duties."
This is a blatant request for them to bribe him. New indictment incoming?
No, because that language refers to "a particular act". Trump is not promising anything except "whatever". It's very non-specific.
Honestly it would be on brand for him to just lie.
Even still. Trump could be exceptionally precise, mention an exceedingly specific thing, and Roberts would just move the goalposts again.
You all are wealthy enough, [Trump] said, that you should raise $1 billion to return me to the White House. At the dinner, he vowed to immediately reverse dozens of President Biden’s environmental rules and policies and stop new ones from being enacted, according to people with knowledge of the meeting...
Sounds specific.
Add it to the list of crimes, then. Maybe a judge will give him a $1,000 scolding.
It’s his plan regardless. Now he’s getting paid in advance.
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/climate/trump-environment-rollbacks-list.html