Philbin is arguing that "abuse of power" is too vague; there must be an enumerated crime in the federal code.
OK, so, what if we criminalized granting personal favors to world leaders?
Some things are only dangerous when the president does it under particular circumstances.
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OK, so, what if we criminalized granting personal favors to world leaders?
Some things are only dangerous when the president does it under particular circumstances.
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This would criminalize, say, a surgeon offering professional services in a crisis.
Some things are only dangerous when the president does it.
You'd have to put lots of people in jail for trivial matters.
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Some things are only dangerous when the president does it.
You'd have to put lots of people in jail for trivial matters.
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You may wonder if the House could have solved this problem by calling Article 1 "Bribery" or "Extortion."
Nope. The way the law has evolved is intended to target ordinary run of the mill bribery, with an eye to protecting people who contribute to political campaigns.
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Nope. The way the law has evolved is intended to target ordinary run of the mill bribery, with an eye to protecting people who contribute to political campaigns.
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As it is, the Defense is ignoring the facts alleged in the article which describe numerous crimes, including felony witness intimidation.
Had the House called it "bribery" the defense would be making a different set of arguments.
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Had the House called it "bribery" the defense would be making a different set of arguments.
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