"Trump, who is not corrupt" lol now we got jokes in here.
It's not a joke, it's a fact. The legal definition of
corrupt is encapsulated in the phrase “quid pro quo (this for that),” the one that has prevailed in the U.S. legal system since the nation was founded. The Supreme Court further narrowed the definition as being “a contribution to a particular candidate [or officeholder] in exchange for his agreeing to do a particular act within his official duties.” Since Trump has never had any official duties within any government, it's impossible for him to have engaged in corruption, regardless of whether the narrow quid pro quo conception or the far more expansive (broad dictionary) conception is used. That's not to say Trump hasn't shown corruption in some of his business dealings (although "distasteful" and "scummy" is not the same as actual corruption, not is filing bankruptcy, nor is refusing to pay "the little guy" contractors for work that wasn't actually performed), but that's business, not politics or government. The broadest conception of corruption exists in business routinely (although the narrower definition is rare and inefficient).
The Supreme Court has made it very clear that the narrow quid pro quo definition of corruption (in
Citizens United v. FEC) that corruption has to go beyond the broadest definition of including “ingratiation and access.” If the NRA donates money to a Senator's campaign, and then the Senator votes against a gun control bill, does that mean the Senator is corrupt? Of course not. It is part of politics as usual that donors give to candidates who share their views and vote in accord with those views. If the Senator had shown a history of staunch gun control advocacy and then suddenly reversed his position after receiving the contribution, then it could be successfully argued that he is corrupt, that his vote was bought.
That's one of the problems with Republicans charging Hillary as being corrupt in her pay-for-play accusations regarding access to her at the State Department for those who contributed to the Clinton Foundation. Donating to the foundation to garner ingratiation and then be granted access because of that ingratiation, wouldn't normally be enough to be considered corruption, unless you want to use the broadest definition of corruption. You have to show the smoking gun of an intentional act on her part as a favor, either a policy change or some backroom influence in which she acted. However, getting direct access to the Secretary of State, by someone who would normally not be granted access, as a result of a donation or some other ingratiation, is in fact a quid pro quo act of corruption.
Republicans want to use the broad definition of corruption to pillory Hillary, while at the same time retreating to the narrow quid pro quo definition to defend things like
Citizens United. Can't have it both ways. The Democrats play the same game, though. In order to criticize
Citizens United, and now especially Trump, they embrace an expansive conception of corruption, but then they eagerly retreat to the quid pro quo, narrow conception to defend Clinton. It's why Clinton and her campaign tried so desperately to dismiss the "access" part of her term as the Secretary as being normal routine, despite the fact that a really lot of people who got access to her wouldn't have had any shot at access if they hand't donated to the Clinton Foundation. Many had been repeatedly turned down by previous Secretaries of State, but as soon as they made a donation, bam, they're in. One of the most glaring examples is when a small, private mining company got special State Department access, something they couldn't get in a million years, but because they have ties to her son-in-law and they made a contribution to the Foundation, they got in, and benefited from State Department influence in gaining international markets.
Wikileaks proved that Hillary was corrupt. Trump certainly has the potential to be corrupt in office, what with owning more than 200 businesses in several countries. His executive orders will have to be closely scrutinized, that's for sure.