I'm not exactly sure what I'm looking at. Can someone explain why this is considered a bribe and what law it is illegal under?

From: Lopez, Jacquelyn K. (Perkins Coie) [mailto:JacquelynLopez@perkinscoie.com] Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2016 3:35 PM To: Alan Reed; Comer, Scott; Brad Marshall Subject: SEC letters and donations Hi all, Can we set up a time for a very brief call to go over our process for handling donations from donors who have given us pay to play letters? Want to make sure we have a robust process in place to make sure that donations that come in from those donors, in any form, get put into the operating account.

"Pay-to-Play practices have come under scrutiny by both the federal government[18] and a number of states.[19] In Illinois, federal prosecutors in 2006 were investigating "pay-to-play allegations that surround Democratic Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration."[20] The allegations of pay-to-play in Illinois became a national scandal after the arrest of Gov. Blagojevich in December 2008, on charges that, among other things, he and a staffer attempted to "sell" the vacated U.S. Senate seat of then-president-elect Barack Obama.[21][22]"

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pay_to_play

I'm a bit confused because the first quote you linked doesn't appear in OP's link.

Also, as I understand it not all "pay to play" is illegal, but what Blagojevich did was. I don't think it has any place in politics but OP didn't claim it was unethical.

I'm asking for a cite to the law she broke.

They were talking about "pay to play letters" which are the records that campaigns have to have certain financial donors (financial advisors mainly) sign in order to acknowledge that they aren't straight up giving money for kickbacks/favors/bribes (at least for two years they can't, after that it is mostly fair game). The SEC enacted these rules to prevent "pay to play" which is why the emails are mentioning SEC records...it really isn't the smoking that people think it is, it is common SEC compliance legal mumbojumbo.

edit: The person who wrote the first email hadn't even passed the bar yet, she is doing legal gruntwork probably even still an intern...she wouldn't be the person doling out contracts or other bribes, not to say it isn't happening, but no lawyer is dumb enough to write it out in an email like this. These people know how to cover their ass, they don't implicate themselves in a large email thread using plain english from their work account of all things.

The op has two links, though it's hard to tell.

I'm confused, going over pay-to-play laws with a doner is a good thing, pay-to-play letters means you're going over congressional requirements that since they donated they can't bid for government jobs for something like 3 years. It's like a standard disclosure document that the SEC, FEC and probably FINRA require.

If you're actually doing "pay-to-play" with your doners you're not going to send a form letter with the words "pay-to-play" in them.

Agreed. I think most here thought this was a smoking gun - they actually used the term "pay to play" that has been complained about for months. In this case it is an actual SEC term

I want Clinton to go down in flames, but efforts need to be turned elsewhere. This is a non-starter. Unless CtR wants folk to waste their time on this...

You're talking about "pay to NOT play". I don't think they would be getting many contributions, if it limited their ability to bid on contracts.

That's hardly documented proof, son. However, I have no doubt that there's some oiling going on behind the scene's - for both candidates.

Let's not forget Trumps campaign manager, Paul Manafort recieved millions of dollars in undisclosed cash payments from the former pro-Russian regime in Ukraine. Did Putin pay Trump to run?

Nah Soros paid Hillary to be a docile puppet yet again that lead to the regime change in Ukraine for a new set of cronies. Hillary and Victoria Nuland are criminals pushed around by Soros.

This isn't about Trump. I already here enough about that loser, without bringing him up everytime hillary fucks up.

It's the Meme that Hillary does wrong = Trump and the Russians. It's the liberal way to deflect, it's the only way they know how to feign patriotism.

Trump is just a distraction at this point. Everyone knows how the election will go now.

Since when did facts become memes? Anyway, it's the same old republican meme - Shills cry 'proof of rigging' - an observer points out that the other side is just as questionable, gets down voted. I've a sick fantasy of wanting Trump to win, so I can see what happens.

There is undoubtedly corruption on both sides of any political situation. The real question is who is the lesser of two evils?

Hillary has had real power before and she blew it. She was a terrible Secretary of State and I think she would be a horrible President.

Trump is something of an unknown in that respect. He's never held a position of power outside of the business world, so who knows what he will do.

As for the Libertarian and Green Parties they don't really have a snowball's chance in hell to win.

I think I will abstain from participating in this election.