PG Sittenfeld
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NOT BRIBE GRATUITY; NRSC V FEC JD VANCE;
Is the Supreme Court About to Legalize Corruption?
Robert Reich
and 2 more
26,326 views Apr 22, 2026
For decades, rich and powerful interests and their right-wing political allies have been executing a secret plot to buy our political system — and it may get a whole lot worse.
...0:00
Most Americans rightfully believe that money corrupts our politics, and they want to overturn Citizens United.
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7 seconds
And yet, in two little-noticed cases — including one spearheaded by Vice President JD Vance — the Supreme Court could soon do the opposite,
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17 seconds
eliminating the last restrictions on campaign donations and obstructing law enforcement's efforts to halt bribery.
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25 seconds
To explain, investigative journalist David Sirota of The Lever.
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30 seconds
Do you feel like your voice matters when it comes to our politics? No? I'm not surprised. The public effectively has no impact on legislation.
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40 seconds
That's because rich and powerful interests and their right-wing political allies have been executing a decades-long master plan to buy our political system,
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and it could get a whole lot worse due to several recent court cases. If that sounds depressing, it's because it is.
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But there are ways to fight back.
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1 minute
Now, you probably know about the Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United case that opened the floodgates to unlimited election spending by outside groups like corporations.
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1 minute, 12 seconds
In that case,
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1 minute, 13 seconds
justices ruled that corporations were people whose speech, including their political spending, could not be limited.
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1 minute, 21 seconds
It gutted campaign finance laws established to rein in corruption and restore public trust after the Watergate scandal.
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1 minute, 29 seconds
With this ruling,
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1 minute, 30 seconds
the conservative justices conjured the legal fiction that unlimited spending by those seeking to shape public policy
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“do[es] not give rise to corruption or the appearance of corruption.” I think the 75% of Americans who oppose Citizens United would probably disagree.
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1 minute, 50 seconds
But Citizens United is far from the only Supreme Court case that's corrupted our democracy. In Snyder v. United States,
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1 minute, 58 seconds
which was decided in 2024,
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2 minutes, 1 second
the Supreme Court overturned the corruption conviction of an Indiana mayor who pocketed thousands of dollars from a local business tycoon
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2 minutes, 10 seconds
after ensuring the tycoon's company got a big municipal contract. The push to overturn this conviction,
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2 minutes, 17 seconds
which was backed by powerful business groups and conservative think tanks,
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2 minutes, 21 seconds
it resulted in the High Court ruling that such payments to government officials are not illegal if they're made after an official action takes place.
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2 minutes, 32 seconds
The court's conservative justices ruled that these kinds of payments to politicians are not bribes, they're now “gratuities”
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— like, you leaving a nice tip for your waiter at a restaurant.
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Now, it just so happens that Justices Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito backed this ruling after they accepted lavish gifts and trips from billionaire benefactors.
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But all of this isn't enough for conservatives and the oligarchs bankrolling them.
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The MAGA legal world is pushing two other cases that would make it even easier to buy elections, politicians, and public policy.
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3 minutes, 8 seconds
The first case, National Republican Senatorial Committee v. Federal Election Commission, it’s already been accepted by the Supreme Court.
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3 minutes, 17 seconds
Originally brought by then-Senate candidate JD Vance, this case aims to get rid of limits on political parties’ coordinated spending with candidates.
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3 minutes, 27 seconds
JD Vance and the Republican Party are claiming that this type of political spending, by definition,
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3 minutes, 34 seconds
can't be corrupt or even appear to be corrupt because political parties pool money from many contributors.
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They argue that that means no single donor can exert “corrupting influence,” and so the money shouldn't be restricted.
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3 minutes, 51 seconds
In essence, they're asking the Supreme Court to believe that a bank CEO’s donation to a political party coordinating with a
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3 minutes, 59 seconds
lawmaker's campaign can in no way influence how that lawmaker then drafts banking legislation.
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4 minutes, 7 seconds
The other case, Sittenfeld v. United States, concerns federal anti-bribery laws.
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4 minutes, 13 seconds
Now, it's already hard enough to prosecute bribery thanks to the Snyder case and decades of similar cases that have slowly chipped away at anti-corruption laws.
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4 minutes, 23 seconds
Over the years, the Court has overturned corruption convictions of Democrats and Republicans alike. This new case,
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4 minutes, 30 seconds
however, could take the Supreme Court's legal assault even further.
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4 minutes, 35 seconds
Former Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld asked the Supreme Court to overturn his bribery conviction
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4 minutes, 42 seconds
after he was convicted for accepting $20,000 worth of campaign contributions in exchange for supporting a local development project.
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4 minutes, 51 seconds
Even though Sittenfeld is a Democrat, he was already pardoned by Donald Trump,
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4 minutes, 57 seconds
and his appeal is being backed by major conservative groups while his lawyer is Donald Trump's former solicitor general.
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5 minutes, 5 seconds
So this case is not just about absolving one local official,
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5 minutes, 10 seconds
it's about absolving an entire system of corruption — and their arguments make that clear.
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5 minutes, 17 seconds
Sittenfeld’s lawyers are arguing that pay-to-play culture is now so widespread that it shouldn't even be considered a crime.
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5 minutes, 26 seconds
They literally write that the situation is like, And therefore,
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it shouldn't be prosecutable.
They specifically cite reports of Donald Trump soliciting oil executives for $1 billion of campaign cash in exchange for pro-oil policies.
They argue that that's the kind of thing that could be prosecuted if Sittenfeld’s conviction is allowed to stand — as if that would be a bad thing.
Now, they're not wrong that pay-to-play culture is pervasive in government,
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6 minutes, 3 seconds
but the solution is stronger enforcement of anti-corruption laws, not weaker. However, the Supreme Court doesn’t seem to agree.
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6 minutes, 12 seconds
It vacated Sittenfeld’s conviction and sent it back to lower courts for further review. But the high court did not rule on the merits of the case
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or offer a rationale for overturning the conviction — leaving the rest of us to guess as to whether similar corruption cases could be successfully prosecuted in the future.
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6 minutes, 35 seconds
Again, do you want to know why it feels like Congress can never get anything done that actually helps regular people? It's because of everything I just described.
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6 minutes, 46 seconds
We can't rely on the Supreme Court,
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6 minutes, 48 seconds
or Donald Trump, or any politicians corrupted by Big Money, to overhaul this broken system.
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6 minutes, 56 seconds
But there are real solutions that we can fight for. Nationally,
we can push for a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.
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7 minutes, 5 seconds
This may seem unrealistic because it requires 38 out of 50 states to ratify it, but momentum is growing,
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7 minutes, 13 seconds
and some states are not waiting for a national solution.
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7 minutes, 17 seconds
Montana is pioneering a way to stop the flood of Big Money by changing how the state defines corporations’ powers.
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7 minutes, 25 seconds
It's a template that other states can follow.
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7 minutes, 28 seconds
The Supreme Court has ruled many times that corporations are granted their powers by the states in which they operate.
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7 minutes, 34 seconds
The Montana proposal would use that existing authority to change its law to no longer grant corporations the power to spend on any elections inside of Montana.
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7 minutes, 47 seconds
If Montana passes this, it's not alone a national solution,
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but it does solve a big part of the Citizens United problem inside of Montana.
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Other states can do the same inside of their states. And the more states that do it,
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the more Citizens United is neutered — profoundly changing all of American politics.
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The Holy Grail is public financing of elections,
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8 minutes, 13 seconds
which gives qualifying political candidates public money for their campaigns so that they don't have to rely on money from big donors seeking government favors.
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8 minutes, 23 seconds
This isn't some pie-in-the-sky idea — dozens of states and cities already do this, which means every other state and city can too.
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Sure, self-financed billionaire candidates and super PACs can still outspend publicly funded candidates,
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but public financing gives grassroots candidates enough resources to run competitive campaigns,
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and sometimes even win them. These policies should be a no-brainer.
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But reme mber, oligarchs have an interest in undermining democracy.
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They know that in a functioning one-person, one-vote system, they could never pass the unpopular, self-enriching policies that they want.
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9 minutes, 7 seconds
So they're working hard to maintain the corrupt status quo that lets them buy political outcomes. They can still be stopped,
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9 minutes, 15 seconds
but only if we finally make anti-corruption the central focus of our politic
---
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PG Sittenfeld
cinc enq
Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who was convicted of federal bribery and attempted extortion charges, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump.
An "executive grant of clemency" signed May 28 by Trump directs the Attorney General to sign and grant a "full and unconditional pardon."
Sittenfeld's convictions derailed a promising political career where he once was the frontrunner for mayor. He was arrested months after announcing hiscampaign for Cincinnati mayor in 2020.
The case against Sittenfeld centered on donations to his political action committee, which prosecutors said he solicited from an informant for the FBI and FBI agents posing as developers of a downtown Cincinnati project. Prosecutors said Sittenfeld's actions went beyond campaign fundraising and crossed the line into bribery.
A jury found him guilty in 2022. After a lengthy post-conviction legal battle, Sittenfeld was sentenced to 16 months in prison, although he only served about four and a half months. In May 2024, the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals released him while his appeal was pending.
Earlier this year, the 6th Circuit, in a 2-1 decision, upheld the convictions at the same time as all three Trump-appointed judges appeared to ask the U.S. Supreme Court to review the case.
Two of the judges said they believed the Supreme Court should review it. The third judge, who authored the majority opinion, said it "may be time for the (Supreme Court) to revisit or refine" its previous holdings.
Former U.S. Attorney Kenneth Parker, who oversaw Sittenfeld's trial, told The Enquirer that the pardon "undermines the dutiful work that was done by my office at the time, along with our federal law enforcement partners."
It also "casts aside the deliberative work of the jury, the district court judge, and the judges of the (6th Circuit)."
"Corruption is a crime that knows no political lines and should be addressed wherever and whenever it happens," Parker said. "This case was prosecuted because of the criminal behavior that clearly occurred as decided by the jury. Remember, to even reach a pardon, one first has to acknowledge that a crime was actually committed. That is definitely the case here and a pardon is inappropriate, to say the least."
Sittenfeld hastaken his case to the U.S. Supreme Court in an effort to overturn his convictions. It's not clear if Sittenfeld will continue to challenge his convictions. The lead attorney for the Supreme Court case did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Sittenfeld did not respond to The Enquirer's attempts at seeking comment. His wife told a reporter who went to their East Walnut Hills home that she would not comment.
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SEE MAJ REPT EMMA MONTANA
cu BUT NOT AMEND?
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PT 1 HOMAN AUDIO i am sure he has been piad more than 50k for his services” CU
2,510 views Oct 22, 2025 Lever Time
Most Americans want to overturn Citizens United v. FEC, the landmark 2010 Supreme Court decision that unleashed unlimited corporate spending on U.S. elections. But two new cases before the high court — including one spearheaded by now-Vice President JD Vance — are instead set to expand that ruling and turn America into a kleptocracy. For the next several episodes of Lever Time, we’re taking a deep dive into Citizens United and how it’s transformed our lives. In this first episode, David Sirota uncovers conservatives’ plan to deregulate the campaign finance system, their efforts to legalize bribery, and what options we have to stop them.
...
9:54
after the Trump administration bailed on
9:56
defending current law, who did the US
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Supreme Court assign to defend the last
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remaining threads of campaign finance
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regulations? A conservative attorney
10:06
named Roman Martinez. He served as a
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clerk for Chief Justice John Roberts in
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2010, exactly when Roberts engineered
10:15
the original Citizens United ruling.
10:17
This same conservative attorney now
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charged with defending the last
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remaining campaign finance statutes. He
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also recently helped the Chamber of
10:26
Commerce press justices to limit the
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scope of federal anti-bribery laws.
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Could somebody play that old Chvy Chase
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clip here?
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Isn't that a conflict of interest? Like
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Citizens United in 2010, this new
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Supreme Court case only questions a
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narrow aspect of campaign finance law,
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the part that governs how much money
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political parties can spend in
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coordination with their candidates. But
10:50
just like Citizens United, the court
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could go way beyond the narrow issues in
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this case and use the case as an
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opportunity to create a whole new
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president outlawing all campaign
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contribution limits. The court is set to
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hear the case during its current term.
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Depending on how justices rule, by the
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2026 midterm election, we could be
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living under a whole new Citizens United
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2.0 paradigm, where campaign donations
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to candidates and the potential for
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billionaires to buy elections are truly
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unlimited. And even if this JD Vance
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case fails, there's one more case also
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on the horizon. It aims to make it
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almost impossible for prosecutors to
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enforce federal anti-bribery laws. We'll
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hear more about that case after the
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break.
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duck 10 25
- Cincinnati Enquirer
PG Sittenfeld pardon: What to know about Trump's order to grant clemency
May 30, 2025The president's decision to grant clemency to Sittenfeld came as an unexpected move, considering the ex-councilman had voiced disapproval of Trump.
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Princeton Alumni Weekly
https://paw.princeton.edu › article › pg-sittenfeld-07-pardoned-president-donald-trump
P.G. Sittenfeld '07 Pardoned by President Donald Trump
May 29, 2025President Donald Trump granted a full pardon Thursday, May 29, to Alexander P.G. Sittenfeld '07, the former rising star of Cincinnati politics whose 2022 bribery conviction had raised constitutional questions about the role of money in elections, according to a lawyer for Sittenfeld who requested anonymity.
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cleveland.com
Trump pardons former Ohio politician convicted in bribery case
May 29, 2025PG Sittenfeld, a former Cincinnati City Council member and 2016 Democratic U.S. Senate candidate, was convicted of federal corruption charges in 2023.
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MSN
P.G. Sittenfeld pardoned by President Donald Trump - MSN
CINCINNATI (WXIX) - Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld is one of several people pardoned Wednesday by President Donald Trump, federal records show.
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WLWT
https://www.wlwt.com › article › pg-sittenfeld-cincinnati-presidential-pardon-report › 64915178
Former Cincinnati councilmember receives pardon from President Trump - WLWT
May 29, 2025Alexander "PG" Sittenfeld is one of 17 people pardoned by President Donald Trump Wednesday. Eight sentence commutations were also handed down by the president Wednesday.
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Azat TV
https://azat.tv › en › trump-pardons-sittenfeld
Trump Pardons Ex-Cincinnati Councilman PG Sittenfeld for Bribery
May 30, 2025Quick read Former Cincinnati Councilman PG Sittenfeld has been pardoned by Donald Trump. Sittenfeld was convicted in 2022 of bribery and attempted extortion. He served about 4.5 months of a 16-month prison sentence. The pardon has reignited debates over political corruption and clemency powers. Critics argue the pardon undermines the justice system's integrity.
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Bloomberg Law News
Trump Pardons Former Cincinnati Councilman Who Took Bribes (1)
May 29, 2025President Donald Trump pardoned a former Democratic Cincinnati councilman found guilty of taking bribes in exchange for a vote. The president issued the pardon for Alexander "P.G." Sittenfeld on Wednesday in a batch of clemency approvals that included 16 other pardons and eight commuted sentences.
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Cincinnati Enquirer
PG Sittenfeld: President Trump pardons former Cincinnati councilman
May 29, 2025Former Cincinnati City Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, who was convicted of federal bribery and attempted extortion charges, has been pardoned by President Donald Trump. An "executive grant of ...
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The Business Journals
Sittenfeld surprised by Trump pardon, seeks Supreme Court review ...
Jun 17, 2025Former Cincinnati Councilman P.G. Sittenfeld, pardoned by Trump, expresses surprise and plans to pursue his case to the Supreme Court.
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Princeton Alumni Weekly
Pardoned, P.G. Sittenfeld '07 Still Wants the Supreme Court to Take His ...
Jul 11, 2025Alexander P.G. Sittenfeld '07 is still battling to clear his name even after an unexpected pardon from President Donald Trump in May removed him from further legal penalties: On Friday afternoon, July 11, the former Cincinnati City Council member filed paperwork asking the Supreme Court