Quid pro no-no: When campaign contributions become a crime
Key takeaways
- U.S., should concern every corporation, trade association, advocacy group, and individual donor who seeks to advance a policy agenda by supporting candidates with lawful campaign contributions.
- One of us lived through this as the defendant-appellant, even serving prison time.
- U.S. featured an elaborate FBI sting operation with undercover agents, later likened in court to a yearlong prosecutorial Truman Show.
Why this matters: political developments that affect policy direction and public trust.
Burns and P.G. Sittenfeld, opinion contributors - 05/08/26 9:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied by Caleb P. Burns and P.G. Sittenfeld, opinion contributors - 05/08/26 9:00 AM ET Comments: Link copied Getty Images One of the more alarming political prosecutions of the last several decades recently reached its conclusion, though most Americans have never heard of it.
The case, Sittenfeld v. U.S., should concern every corporation, trade association, advocacy group, and individual donor who seeks to advance a policy agenda by supporting candidates with lawful campaign contributions.
One of us lived through this as the defendant-appellant, even serving prison time. The other watched up-close as an expert witness with more than two decades of campaign-finance experience, shocked by the Kafka-esque miscarriage of justice that unfolded.