Also known as: bribery · bribe · bribed · bribing · bribes · commercial bribery · public bribery
Written by attorneys · grounded in primary & secondary sources — see below
A misdemeanor that occurs when a person corruptly gives, offers, or agrees to give anything of value, or corruptly requests, receives, or agrees to receive anything of value, in exchange for official action.
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President George Garcia directs the Attorney General to halt an investigation into a law firm that arranged payments to his reelection committee. The House opens hearings to determine whether the directive constitutes bribery under the constitutional removal standard. If the Senate convicts on that ground the President is removed from office.
Gerald Gibson, purchasing director for Griffin Industries, receives an offer of paid vacations from a vendor in exchange for steering future orders to that vendor. The offer satisfies the corrupt exchange element even though Gibson never accepts the benefit or shares the vendor's intent.
The Constitution permits removal only upon impeachment by the House and conviction by the Senate for treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors. Bribery is one of the enumerated grounds but need not be the sole basis for impeachment.
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No. The prosecution need not show that both parties shared the same criminal intent. The offense is complete upon a corrupt offer or request even if the other side lacks matching intent.
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