Sheldon Adelson, the casino magnate that spent over $150 million in independent expenditures to help Republican candidates in the 2012 elections, has admitted to bribing foreign officials:
"There were likely violations of the books and records and internal controls provisions” of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, (Las Vegas Sands Corporation) said in its annual regulatory report published on Friday. Late last year, Adelson reportedly held meetings with at least one House GOP leader to discuss “possible changes to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act,” arguing that he had been the target of federal investigations under the Act as retribution for his strong support for Republican candidates.
Adelson's casino company, Las Vegas Sands Corporation, has been accused of bribing Chinese officials to expand its business operations in China. Now, Adelson's company has outright admitted to violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the federal law that prohibits U.S.-based corporations from bribing foreign government officials, and now we know that Adelson, the single largest contributor to Republican efforts in the 2012 elections, met with at least one Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives to discuss weakening the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.
To put it mildly, this is a major public relations nightmare for the Republican Party. The guy who spent more money than anyone else to bankroll efforts to get Republicans elected has admitted to bribing Chinese officials.