According to RAW Story, the situation described involves the Republican National Committee chair, Ronna McDaniels, reportedly offering legal help to election officials in Michigan during a phone call from former President Donald Trump. The claim suggests that McDaniels could be investigated for bribery for promising legal assistance in exchange for not certifying the 2020 election results.
Anthony Michael Kreis, a law professor at Georgia State University, mentioned the bribery statute in Michigan and suggested that McDaniels might face legal trouble, implying a potential fifth set of charges for Trump. Kreis pointed out the offer of attorneys as a promise made in exchange for an official act, raising concerns about potential criminal charges.
Kreis acknowledged the complexity of determining whether providing a lawyer constitutes a “valuable thing” in the context of bribery statutes. While legal assistance may not align with the typical understanding of items offered as bribes, the question remains whether it qualifies as a materially valuable thing exchanged for a potentially corrupt official act.
This analysis highlights the legal intricacies and potential implications of the reported phone call, with the focus on whether the offer of legal help could be considered a form of bribery under Michigan law. Legal experts and authorities would need to examine the specific details and applicable statutes to assess the validity of such claims.
