Politics –
GOP Delegates Could Be Bribed
If you’ve ever seen Omarosa Manigault and a variety of black ministers on television proclaiming deep allegiance to Donald Trump, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that a check made out to CASH is likely why they’re there. However, they’re not the only ones who can be bought. GOP delegates are a prime target for the Trump checkbook.
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It’s no secret that this summer’s Republican National Convention will be an all-out brawl for every delegate’s vote. However, what remains the biggest secret in politics is how candidates might ply GOP delegates with gifts in order to buy their support. Yes, buying votes is illegal…but buying delegates is not. For the billionaire Donald Trump, this sort of under-the-table tactic could be just what he needs to launch him over the top.
Here’s the math: if Trump continues to win delegates at or slightly below his current rate of 46%, he will fall just under 100 delegates short of winning the nomination outright and the convention will be contested. If none of the eligible candidates are able to reach 1,237 delegates on the first ballot, more than half of those delegates will be unbound according to individual state rules and the horse-trading will begin. If no one wins on the second ballot, about 80% of the delegates will be free to vote for whomever they want.
Chaos will ensue — and that’s where the Donald Trump checkbook could come in.
Whereas Ted Cruz or John Kasich might dangle a political position or promise of power to wavering GOP delegates, Donald Trump could easily step forward speaking the universal language: cold, hard cash! Already, Trump is rumored to have paid several “supporters” (particularly ethnic minority ones) to stand with him at his rallies and sing his praises.  So, why not extend the practice to buying GOP delegates and effectively the GOP nomination?
Elected officials are bound by honest services statutes, while party officials are restricted by their political role. Although there are federal and state laws prohibiting bribery of elected officials, there’s no real precedent governing what private citizens serving as delegates at a political convention can take in exchange for their vote. With the seemingly unlimited resources of the billionaire businessman, the scheme to simply buy the remaining delegates needed is almost assuredly at the top of the Trump playbook.
“I think the legal term is s*** show,” said Ken Gross, an election law specialist at Skadden and former associate general counsel of the Federal Election Commission. “I think it’s going to be a circus, to say the least.”
Trump’s senior adviser, Barry Bennett disagreed and promised there will be a limit.
“There’s obviously a big line — we’re not going to do anything immoral, illegal or unethical,” Bennett said. “Most of the time all they [delegates] want is some access to the candidate or a visit to their state. It’s just a prioritization on your schedule, nothing more heavy than that. Â We’re not offering seats on the Trump airplane or anything like that.” He added that the type of person who would seek such a deal wouldn’t be a delegate the Trump campaign would want.
Hmmm…
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Of course, even if the Trump campaign didn’t want to be seen as buying the nomination by bribing delegates, there are other entities that could do so on its behalf — Super PACS.  The rules and the scrutiny on such outside groups and individuals are murky at best.
As per FEC rules, delegates are not allowed to accept funds and contributions from corporations, foreign nationals, labor organizations or federal government contractors. However, they are allowed to raise funds for their travel and expenses associated with the convention, as long as they are not provided by prohibited sources. Â With California GOPÂ delegates expecting to pay between $3,000 to $6,000 on convention expenses, a check from Trump would be a welcomed surprise.
“The RNC rules do not specifically address this, however there are FEC implications once you start expending money related to attempts to influence a federal election,” RNC spokeswoman Lindsay Walters said. “It is up to the individual delegates and campaigns to ensure that they are in compliance with any applicable federal regulations.”
Although Donald Trump is far ahead in the delegate count, most political observers agree that he will be unable to reach the magic number needed to clinch the nomination outright. This means that as many as 80% of the GOP delegates could become unbound from their state votes after the 2nd ballot — freeing them to vote for whomever they wish.
And that’s where the deep pocketed Donald Trump and his checkbook could save the day!
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I agree DJ. If indeed Trump doesn't go into the convention with 1237 delegates already secured it's going to be an all out brawl at the convention for that magic number. However, based on how he's run his sham of a campaign thus far, I doubt he's going to *pony-up* and "bribe" delegates for their support…not using his own money anyway. Look at how he's operated. His supposed "self-financed" presidential campaign has been anything but. As reported in the news: 1. Trump has played the media like a fiddle to the tune of at least $2 billion dollars worth of FREE media. 2. Most of the money spent on his campaign to date has actually come from his supporters. 3. To the degree that he's "contributed" any money to his campaign at all..it's been mostly in the form of LOANS he's made to himself. Added to all that……. We now… Read more »