Let’s have some fun with the new norms.
Iowa Code § 39A.2(d)(1) makes it a felony when someone “Pays, offers to pay, or causes to be paid money or any other thing of value to a person to influence the person’s vote.” Pretty confident a lot of other states with ambitious attorneys general have similar laws.
Student loan forgiveness is a thing of value.
Biden aficionados have said that loan forgiveness would influence the vote; it’s generally understood that the White House has been pushing the terrible regressive policy for electoral reasons. There are probably smoking gun emails or memos or texts among Biden staffers saying just that. Biden is certainly campaigning on it.
Now, normally, the official acts of a president would be beyond state law. But as we saw from the Georgia indictment victims’ attempts to remove to federal court, illegal acts aren’t official acts. And these acts in particular were ultra vires; indeed, Biden supporters like Nancy Pelosi said as much in 2021, so he should have known he didn’t, and the Supreme Court ultimately agreed.
And there sure were a lot of government staffers who conspired with Biden on this.
Now, this is certainly an extension of a law never used this way before. But when has that ever stopped a prosecutor from going after a president under the New Normal? After all, no one is above the law unless they’re violent criminals or shoplifters or Hamas supporters blocking roads.
Iowa Code § 39A.2(d)(1) makes it a felony when someone “Pays, offers to pay, or causes to be paid money or any other thing of value to a person to influence the person’s vote.” Pretty confident a lot of other states with ambitious attorneys general have similar laws.
Student loan forgiveness is a thing of value.
Biden aficionados have said that loan forgiveness would influence the vote; it’s generally understood that the White House has been pushing the terrible regressive policy for electoral reasons. There are probably smoking gun emails or memos or texts among Biden staffers saying just that. Biden is certainly campaigning on it.
Now, normally, the official acts of a president would be beyond state law. But as we saw from the Georgia indictment victims’ attempts to remove to federal court, illegal acts aren’t official acts. And these acts in particular were ultra vires; indeed, Biden supporters like Nancy Pelosi said as much in 2021, so he should have known he didn’t, and the Supreme Court ultimately agreed.
And there sure were a lot of government staffers who conspired with Biden on this.
Now, this is certainly an extension of a law never used this way before. But when has that ever stopped a prosecutor from going after a president under the New Normal? After all, no one is above the law unless they’re violent criminals or shoplifters or Hamas supporters blocking roads.
Oh, look, Florida. “No person shall directly or indirectly give or promise anything of value to another intending thereby to buy that person’s or another’s vote or to corruptly influence that person or another in casting his or her vote.” Fla. Code § 104.061(2). Is acting unconstitutionally corrupt?
It would be entertaining to see hundreds of reporters required to spend weeks in Cheyenne, WY, over whether dozens of Democrats conspired to feloniously violate § 22-26-109(a)(1). Just because Biden lost the state 26-70 doesn’t mean he can’t get a fair trial.
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