How a Top GOP Lawyer Guided a Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics

[FONT=TIActuBetaMono-ExBold_web]S[/FONT][FONT=TIActuBeta-ExBold_web]IX DAYS AFTER the Supreme Court lifted restrictions on corporate money in U.S. elections with its January 21, 2010, ruling in Citizens United, President Obama warned in his State of the Union address that it would “open the floodgates for special interests, including foreign corporations, to spend without limit in our elections.”[/FONT]
But as unlimited contributions have coursed through the election system, no one has been able to point to a specific example of foreign money flowing into U.S. presidential politics as a result of the Supreme Court’s decision.
Until now.
The Intercept has determined that a corporation owned by a Chinese couple made a major donation to Jeb Bush’s Super PAC Right to Rise USA — and it did so after receiving detailed advice from Charlie Spies, arguably the most important Republican campaign finance lawyer in American politics.
As Robert Weissman, president of the nonprofit advocacy organization Public Citizen, said, “We know that Citizens United opened the door for foreign money to influence U.S. elections. This case appears to be the first instance in federal elections where the money trail is clear and documentable from publicly available records.”
Spies presented his advice in a memo, obtained by The Intercept, which he prepared for Right to Rise USA, where he served as treasurer and general counsel. “We conclude,” he wrote, “that a domestic subsidiary corporation may now directly contribute to a Super PAC in connection with a federal election.”

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TheDemSocialist said:

Read more @: How a Top GOP Lawyer Guided a Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics

The floodgates have been opened. Now foreign nationals through their US corporations can legally donate and influence US elections. We are living with the consequences of the citizens united decision. [/FONT][/COLOR]

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TheDemSocialist said:

Read more @: How a Top GOP Lawyer Guided a Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics

The floodgates have been opened. Now foreign nationals through their corporations can legally donate and influence US elections. We are living with the consequences of the citizens united decision. [/FONT][/COLOR]

Click to expand...

Harshaw said:

Citizens United does not have a THING to do with corporate donations, and definitely has nothing to do with corporations donating to PACs.

The writer of this article is either ignorant or dishonest.

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TheDemSocialist said:

Really? From the Republican finance lawyer, Charles Spies:

https://theintercept.com/document/2...gn-owned-corporations-donating-to-super-pacs/

Looks like Citizens United in-fact had a lot do with corporate donations to PACs.....

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Harshaw said:

This is lawyer writing a memo attempting to twist a decision into allowing something that his client wants to do. You note his language: "we conclude that . . . " This is not evidence that the decision did what you say.

Citizens United was not about corporate donations to PACs. It. Was. Not.

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TheDemSocialist said:

Read more @: How a Top GOP Lawyer Guided a Chinese-Owned Company Into U.S. Presidential Politics

The floodgates have been opened. Now foreign nationals through their corporations can legally donate and influence US elections. We are living with the consequences of the citizens united decision. [/FONT][/COLOR]

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TheDemSocialist said:

A lawyer writing a brief memo is not evidence....

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Hmmm.... Instead I should just believe you who has only offered "nauh! Nothing to do with citizens united!"

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