supreme court takes up cruz's bid to rake in extra cash

[butters]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/poli...lize-bribery/ar-AASHvgV?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=U531

as things stand, any candidate running for election can loan their campaigns money but, after the election, any monies donated to help pay that back (above and beyond the original sum' can be funneled directly into the elected officials' pockets, including additional monies in 'interest'. Cruz wants this broadened even further.

When a campaign receives a pre-election donation, that donation is typically subject to strict rules preventing it from being spent to enrich the candidate. After the election has occurred, however, donors who give money to help pay off a loan from the candidate effectively funnel that money straight to the candidate — who by that point could be a powerful elected official.

According to the Los Angeles Times, for example, in 1998, Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-CA) made a $150,000 loan to her campaign at 18 percent interest (though she later reduced that interest rate to 10 percent). As of 2009, Napolitano reportedly raised $221,780 to repay that loan — $158,000 of which was classified as “interest.”

So in 11 years, the loan reportedly earned Napolitano nearly $72,000 in profits.

Cruz claims that permitting such contributions is necessary to protect “the rights of candidates and their campaign committees to make constitutionally protected decisions about when and how much to speak during an election.”