In North Carolina, the State Ethics Committee has recently made it legal for lobbyist to purchase the services of prostitutes to service politicians.
The Committee came to the conclusion that since sex had no monetary value and that sex between a politician and lobbyist was not a questionable means of influence, it didn’t need to be reported. This means a major loophole allowing lobbying firms to seek political advantage by hiring people who will seduce and have sexual relations with politicians. In other words, lobbying firms can hire prostitutes to service politicians, but they don’t need to register the transaction.
The Ethics Committee letter, titled “Sexual Favors or Sexual Acts as a Gift or Thing of Value” states that if the person is not a registered lobbyist, there is no reason to apply the lobbying laws gift ban, even if a third party paid for the services. The long-term implications are disturbing.
If a politician has sexual relations with someone who is paid by a lobbying firm, the politician can be controlled with little cost to the firm with only a hidden camera and thinly veiled threats of exposure. This possibility has been legalized by the North Carolina’s Ethics Committee.
For the good of the country, lobbying needs to be stopped. When the founding fathers made it possible for the people to have the right to petition the government and redress grievances, they didn’t mean trade groups and corporations should be granted special access to politicians. Money and gifts are not speech. Liberty for all—not just for the wealthy and powerful.