EDITORIAL: Bribery case should drive campaign reform
Yes, all of the above. And more.
The charges revealed this week against the chairman of the state
Or at least it appears we have. Indictments aren't convictions and the four men charged will remain innocent until proven guilty in court of law.
Yet the federal indictments unveiled Tuesday contain considerable detail, some of it from surreptitious recordings of telephone or in-person conversations involving the people who were indicted and state Insurance Commissioner
The man at the center of the scandal is insurance magnate
Federal prosecutors say Lindberg tried to funnel as much as
Causey, also a Republican, appears to have sought out federal law enforcement officials after he was offered the deal. He recorded conversations with the defendants and he turned over
Hayes, Lindberg and two of Lindberg's associates --
The 73-year-old Hayes had announced Monday that he wouldn't seek another term as leader of the state
We're troubled to see such a sordid saga unfolding in
More important, it is a dramatic reminder of how big money is corrupting politics. Wealthy donors like Lindberg seldom make such lavish contributions for purely altruistic reasons. Big donors expect something in return, beginning with access, and often a lot more than that. If these allegations are upheld in court, this may be the biggest bribery scheme we've seen in
We'll likely learn a great deal more about the case in the months to come, but we already have sufficient evidence to know that campaign finance reform is essential. Given what we've already learned about this case, we have little doubt that the political money game is even more out of control than we knew. It's got to be reined in -- promptly.
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