>>4927518 (prev bread)
Politicians aren't the brightest bulbs, but they know ill-gotten gains need to be laundered. Think about it. Why do some get large advances to write books or huge speaking fees? None of them are that interesting or insightful to warrant this.
Has anyone tried to follow the money given to politicians, staffers, and appointees while in or after leaving office? Or, what jobs they took after leaving? Obviously, we can only check what's been publicly announced. Maybe there's a pattern in which the money givers or new employers are tied to the same foreign interests or wealthy oligarchs.
During the 2016 election, HRC/DNC bombarded my Dem friends with emails asking for only a $1 donation. That's it. At the time, it seemed strange to me. I thought maybe they were trying to hide the fact all the money received was coming from a small number of wealthy donors. Perhaps this was a form of money laundering or obfuscation.