system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: In the US, why is bribery of elected officials illegal, but political contributions are "free speech"?
gpt
Ostensibly, donating money to a campaign does not oblige the politician to do what you tell him to.  A bribe is explicitly quid pro quo.

Put another way: it's illegal to give money to a politician and **demand** he votes a certain way.  It's legal to give money to a politician and **hope** that he votes a certain way.  In reality, there's some gray area where special interests 'hope' very specifically....