The Citizens United decision by our Supreme Court has loosened the mind of at least one Republican, to the point where he believe bribes from lobbyists are his rightful due.
Three Kentucky politicians (Republican state senator John Schickel plus two Libertarian candidates) are suing the state because they say Kentucky's ethics laws violate their First and Fourteenth amendment rights. They're challenging the restrictions on lobbyists' giving and a $1,000 limit on campaign contributions by others.
Before we go any further, let's take a look at what lead Kentucky to pass such laws. Does the name Abramoff ring a bell? Circa the early 1990s, corruption had become so rampant in Kentucky that the FBI began an investigation that lead to the arrest, conviction and imprisonment of 15 Kentucky sitting or former state legislators.
The sting, dubbed Operation Boptrot, involved legislators who accepted bribes and other illegal inducements to support horse-racing legislation in Kentucky. The FBI's original targets were the Business, Organization, and Professions Committees (the "BOP" in BOPTROT) in the Kentucky House of Representatives and the Kentucky Senate. Those two committees oversaw state laws regulating horse racing (the "trot" in BOPTROT). The exposé was especially notable for revealing how cheaply the legislators were willing to sell their votes.
Operation Boptrot
Back to Schickel's lawsuit. “This infringes on the legislator’s, lobbyist’s, and the employer of the lobbyist’s right to freedom of association, and freedom of speech,” the lawsuit argues. Schickel whines that ethics laws prevent him from attending “holiday parties, hosted by longstanding friends, who are lobbyists or employ lobbyists.”
Awww. Poor baby. He's afraid Santa won't be able to find him if the lobbyists aren't allowed to grease the sleigh. As the Herald-Leader notes, Schickel “needn’t sit alone during the holidays” as long as he doesn’t accept “food, drink, or other favors” without paying for his share of the entertainment.
But here's what it's really all about.
Schickel says he will need $350,000 to defend his Senate seat next year, but complains that he has been able to collect just $98,000 from 150 donors so far. He says that his lobbyist friends are clamboring to throw more money at him, but he fears criminal charges if he accepts illegal money — go figure.
Kentucky Republican - I Have a First Amendment Right to Accept Bribes