I said it before, I’ll say it again.

Lobbying is just bribery with extra steps.

Pay for play is what made Trump the President possible, see Super PACs and Citizens United for more details.

PACs financed by, well, any country or organization or person, really, can funnel millions directly to their chosen candidate (or their favorite shell company, and so on).

They call it “donations”, because fuck you.

Remember, we’re only told about the up-front “donations” that they openly claim for publicity. It’s a lot more than that.

This doesn’t shame Bezos. He’s happy with you thinking of him as a shrewd businessman who has the gumption to risk being openly corrupt when he can get away with it.