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Lobbying may be characterized as a form of petitioning the government, which is a right protected under the First Amendment to the Constitution. The confusion occurs depending on the approach that is taken to "influence" the government, especially when an elected official or potentially elected official is targeted. "Special Interest Groups" often make financial contributions to a candidate's campaign utilizing their vast resources. What they want in return for these contributions may never become a matter of public record. If a vote cast or bill introduced by this candidate, once elected, favors the group that contributed to their campaign, some could make a compelling argument that bribery has taken place. Both the GEO Group and CoreCivic donated heavily to the Donald Trump presidential campaign in 2016 and inaugural committee in 2017, and following his election, their stock prices skyrocketed: CoreCivic by 140% and GEO Group by 98%... Click here
In contrast, if a candidate is presented with facts - photos, videos, research, testimony or other documentation and they are then swayed to propose a new law, there has been no tangible good exchanged except for information. Usually, this tactic is reserved for those of us that are less fortunate that can get an audience with a member of Congress or some other law maker, which rarely happens.