After rolling out the lackluster "A better deal" platform last year, Democrats are now honing the theme to apply more specifically to the rampant corruption running through Donald Trump's administration. The new "A better deal for our Democracy" roll-out Monday will include tightening rules on lobbying and what constitutes federal bribery. The Washington Post writes:
According to a senior Democratic official familiar with the announcement, the new agenda will include proposals that would eliminate loopholes that allow lobbyists and lawmakers to buy and sell influence without the public’s knowledge. The message: Elect Democrats in November to “clean up the chaos and corruption in Washington.”
One proposal — which would tighten the federal laws governing lobbying disclosures and foreign-agent registration — responds to the apparent sale of influence by Michael Cohen, Trump’s former personal lawyer. [...] Cohen never registered as a lobbyist or otherwise disclosed the payments — possibly because, under federal law, only those who spend more than 20 percent of their time on lobbying on behalf of a client must register as a lobbyist. Democrats will propose to change the law so any lobbying contact would have to be publicly reported.
Another proposal could rewrite federal statutes that might have allowed lawmakers of both parties to skirt convictions on bribery and pay-to-play allegations.
Currently, accepting gifts alone doesn't qualify as bribery under federal laws unless it can be proven that a specific action was promised or taken in response, which is why GOP Virginia Gov. Robert McDonnell ultimately got off scot-free despite him and his wife personally benefitting from hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of gifts from people seeking McDonnell's assistance.
The new platform theme, despite still having a somewhat pro forma title, gives Democrats a way to focus on the abuses and seedy corruption currently thriving under Donald Trump and a GOP-led Congress that's 100 percent failing to perform its oversight responsibilities. That’s a message that will surely be on the minds of a swath of voters this fall.
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