WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court took up Sen. Ted Cruz’s effort to overturn a cap on repaying personal loans with post-election donations, with the senator’s lawyer arguing that if he can’t be corrupted for $250,000, he can’t be bought for another $10,000, either.
Before or after the election, donors can’t cut checks bigger than $2,900 during an election cycle for a federal candidate.
Justices wrestled with whether the timing of those donations makes a difference, legally and ethically. Many embraced the Biden administration’s argument that when donors pay off a candidate’s personal debt after they know who won, that looks a lot like a forbidden gift.
