Stephen Spaulding, Common Cause joins Thom Hartmann. Justice Anthony Kennedy wrote in the majority opinion that corporations should be able to spend unlimited amounts of money on independent political activities because, “independent expenditures, including those made by corporations, do not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” Kennedy also argued that while corporations that make independent expenditures “may have influence over or access to elected officials,” that doesn’t necessarily mean that those elected officials are corrupt. Well - fast-forward five years - and it looks like we have a clear cut case of a corporation’s political spending leading directly to corruption charges for a lawmaker. Last week - Senator Bob Menendez of New Jersey was indicted on public corruption charges - stemming from what the Department of Justice says were actions he took to help out the business interests of a friend.
Hello All