Is it legal for American politicians to accept donations from foreigners (non-American citizens)?
<p>In recent years, several laws have been passed in Russia, which make it harder for foreign organizations to influence Russian politics. The critics of those laws regard them as undemocratic.</p>

<p>Their proponents claim that they cannot be undemocratic because</p>

<ol>
<li>most of these laws were copied from American ones,</li>
<li>the United States is the most democratic country in the world,</li>
<li>hence, by doing the same thing the US does, Russia gets closer to the American democratic ideal.</li>
</ol>

<p>If item 1 of this logic is correct, it must be illegal for non-American individuals and organizations to exert influence on American politics. The probably most important way to do so is to give donations to politicians.</p>

<p>Therefore my question: Is an American politician allowed to receive donations from a non-American citizen living outside the US?</p>

<p>In other words: If I as a Russian citizen wanted to make a donation to, say, Donald Trump, could he legally accept it?</p>

<p><a href="http://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title52-section30121&amp;num=0&amp;edition=prelim" rel="noreferrer">Title 52, section 30121 of the US Code</a> is the section regulating election spending by foreign nationals. Specifically, it forbids both making and accepting said contributions, as well as banning independent expenditures:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(a) Prohibition</p>
<p>It shall be unlawful for-</p>
<p>(1) a foreign national, directly or indirectly, to make-<br />
(A) a contribution or donation of money or other thing of value, or to make an express or implied promise to make a contribution or donation, in connection with a Federal, State, or local election;<br />
(B) a contribution or donation to a committee of a political party; or<br />
(C) an expenditure, independent expenditure, or disbursement for an electioneering communication (within the meaning of section 30104(f)(3) of this title); or</p>
<p>(2) a person to solicit, accept, or receive a contribution or donation described in subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) from a foreign national.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>(1) would get you. (2) would get Trump. Extradition may be difficult, but you have committed a US crime if Trump takes that contribution, and if you do turn up in the US then the US might prosecute you for it (they almost certainly won't, but they could).</p>

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