There was a critically important post at Washington Post by Ellen L. Weintraub:

“It is illegal for any person to solicit, accept, or receive anything of value from a foreign national in connection with a U.S. election.” That statement, which I issued last week, citing this basic precept of election law, drew a surprising amount of attention. It shouldn’t have.

Concerns about foreign attempts to intervene in our political system date back to the founding of our republic. As chair of the Federal Election Commission, I am gravely concerned about ongoing efforts by geopolitical adversaries to undermine our democracy. It is critically important that everyone involved in U.S. politics understands the law, recognizes the threat, and confronts and contains it.

While the ban on foreign national spending in our elections is well established, unequivocal and clear on its face, a lot of people have raised good questions about the law’s scope.

See the full story here. Money politics has long dominated American politics, but the scale of the problem has gotten much worse since the Supreme Court made its infamous 2010 ruling known as: Citizens United. This is despite the fact that evidence is growing that small donors can fund political campaigns if they get some support such as through a voluntary public matching funds program. Seattle and New York City have systems of matching funds for small donors that have gotten particular attention.

Also visit Democracy Chronicles main sections on American Democracy and Money Politics or our articles on Worldwide Corruption.