Will Senate Dems Condemn Bribery Attempts and Threats Against Sen. Collins?
Here’s the news you need to know on this Wednesday, September 12, 2018.
Senator Hatch urges Democrats to condemn attempts to bribe Senator Collins
@senorrinhatch: Every Democrat should be condemning these antics in Maine— attempting to bribe Senator Collins to vote against Judge Kavanaugh and threatening sexual violence against staffers if she votes for him is absolutely disgusting.
https://twitter.com/senorrinhatch/status/1039685475454341120?s=12
NBC’s Kasie Hunt this morning on Morning Joe:
“Well, here is one thing I will say, if you’re trying to convince Susan Collins to do something the tactics that some of these people are using is not the way to go about it. Her office has received 3,000 plus wire hangers, she had one 25-year-old female staffer have somebody walk up to them and say that they hope that she is raped and impregnated. And I think everybody is feeling very — and I’ve gotten notes from sources that people feel really uncomfortable with how this is playing out.”
Democrats attempts to extort Senator Collins may be in violation of federal law
By publicly promising to pay money to someone if a vote goes a certain way, Democrats are running afoul of federal law.
The anger Democrats have embraced against the Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination has turned criminal. Democrats in Maine have started a crowd sourcing fund to raise money for a challenger to Susan Collins if she votes for Kavanaugh. The if is important because they are threatening action based on a voting condition. That may very well run afoul of federal law.
Activists raised $1 million to defeat Susan Collins if she votes for Kavanaugh. She says it’s bribery
At least one ethics expert consulted by The Washington Post said that it may very well violate federal bribery statutes, which prohibit giving or offering anything of value to government officials in exchange for any acts or votes. And Collins issued a sharply worded response through a spokeswoman that called it an attempt at extortion. “And anybody who thinks these tactics would work on Senator Collins obviously doesn’t know her,” spokeswoman Annie Clark said in a statement. “Senator Collins will make up her mind based on the merits of the nomination. Threats or other attempts to bully her will not play a factor in her decision making whatsoever.”
Interest groups in Maine are coming on strong, going so far as to threaten Senator Collins’ staff
The frustration has boiled over at points. Annie Clark, a spokeswoman for Ms. Collins, provided The New York Times with copies of a letter and multiple voicemail messages addressed to the senator using vulgar language and outright threats. One caller told a 25-year-old female staff member at one of Ms. Collins’s Maine offices that he hoped she would be raped and impregnated.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/11/us/politics/brett-kavanaugh-confirmation-vote.html
You can try all you like, but you can’t bribe Senator Collins
“I have had three attorneys tell me that they think it is a clear violation of the federal law on bribery,” Ms. Collins says. “Actually, two told me that; one told me it’s extortion.” She adds that her office hasn’t “made any kind of decision” about whether to refer the matter to prosecutors. But her astonishment at the strategy is clear: “It’s offensive. It’s of questionable legality. And it is extraordinary to me that people would want to participate in trying to essentially buy a Senator’s vote.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/you-cant-bribe-susan-collins-1536707466
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