Under the bribery statute, 18 USC 201(b), public officials are forbidden from seeking or receiving anything of value in return for carrying out an official act. Presidential candidates are allowed to solicit donations within the constraints of campaign finance laws, and they are also free to lay out their policy objectives to companies that might benefit from them.
They are not, however, allowed to ask for money directly in return for carrying out beneficial acts once in office.
For the bribery statute to be invoked, there would have to be evidence that Trump promised to dismantle regulations in exchange for donations, said Professor Deborah Hellman of the University of Virginia law school. “For him to say ‘I’m doing it because you’re giving me the money’ is a quid pro quo, but to say ‘I’m going to do it, so you should want me to get elected’ is not.”
While inquiries into the Mar-a-Lago meeting have so far focused on Trump’s conduct, fossil fuel companies are also under scrutiny. Last week Politico reported that the US oil industry is preparing for a possible Trump second term by drafting executive orders for him to sign.
The orders would unleash offshore oil drilling and boost natural gas exports.
The fossil fuel industry has already donated $7.3m this election cycle to Trump’s campaign and groups backing his candidacy, according to Federal Election Commission data compiled by the non-profit watchdog OpenSecrets.
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