article_snippet.sent: Last July lawyers attempted to argue that a high court ruling in McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission in April 2014 bolstered Last July lawyers view that The former Illinois governor was engaged in legal, run-of-the-mill political horse trading, not corruption.
article_snippet.sent: a high court ruling in McCutcheon v. the Federal Election Commission in April 2014McCutcheon , Last July lawyers argued, found that soliciting contributions crosses the line into corruption only when a politician makes a clear, explicit promise to take official action in return for a donation.
article_snippet.sent: In that context, defense attorneys said the trial judge was wrong to set a lower standard for jurors by telling jurors, to convict, jurors only needed to find that The former Illinois governor sought donations 'knowing or believing' it would be given for some official act.
article_snippet.sent: Nothing in The decision suggests that an exchange of contributions for specific official acts is quid pro quo corruption only if the arrangement is stated 'explicitly' or 'expressly.'