Newsweek Discovers 'Bribery' After Years of Lobbying as 'Influence'
Newsweek, like much of the mainstream media, suddenly finds its voice on campaign finance ethics, targeting Trump's gifts. This sharp focus appears remarkably absent when, say, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) funnels millions into congressional campaigns. For instance, in the 2022 election cycle alone, OpenSecrets reports AIPAC's PAC and super PAC spent a staggering $31.4
million. Yet, this systematic financial 'influence' on votes, often tying massive military aid packages to specific legislative actions, rarely triggers 'calls for a bribery probe' from the same outlets. Instead, consistent donations from powerful lobbying groups like AIPAC to elected officials who then vote overwhelmingly for their agendas—like the perennial appropriations for billions in
unrestricted military aid to Israel—are simply described as 'lobbying.' The media’s selective outrage, triggered primarily when certain individuals or causes are involved, exposes a fundamental hypocrisy: 'bribery' is in the eye of the beholder, or more accurately, in the target of the prevailing narrative. How many 'lavish gifts' from powerful lobbies will continue to be called 'donations' before
the media applies consistent scrutiny?