# Are there limits on foreign fund raising?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 20, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889 "2007-09-20T17:44:01Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Linty\_McGinty\_McGee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/cc9497/32.png) [@Linty\_McGinty\_McGee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Linty_McGinty_McGee)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889/1 "2007-09-20T17:44:01Z")

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I see Rudy Giuliani is in London to raise money, and apparently he wasn’t the only candidate.  
Can a Saudi prince or a foreign government, say North Korea, try to buy an election by simply handing someone a billion for blanket coverage TV ads?  
Are there limits of any kind?

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**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889/2 "2007-09-20T17:51:52Z")

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[QUOTE=Linty McGinty McGee]  
I see Rudy Giuliani is in London to raise money, and apparently he wasn’t the only candidate.  
Can a Saudi prince or a foreign government, say North Korea, try to buy an election by simply handing someone a billion for blanket coverage TV ads?  
Are there limits of any kind?  
[/QUOTE]

There are laws against aliens who are not permanent residents making contributions to political campaigns in the US, but I don’t know the details. But perhaps Rudy was addressing his appeal to US citizens living in the UK.

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**Author:** ![anson2995](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c77e96/32.png) [@anson2995](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anson2995)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889/3 "2007-09-20T17:55:22Z")

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Foreign nationals may not make contributions in connection with any election–Federal, State or local. [Per the Federal Election Commission](http://www.fec.gov/pages/brochures/citizens.shtml)

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**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\
**Post date:** [September 20, 2007, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889/4 "2007-09-20T17:57:43Z")

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On the NBC national news last night, they did mention the rationale behind the trips was because there were so many Americans living abroad now.

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**Author:** ![Neptunian\_Slug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce7236/32.png) [@Neptunian\_Slug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neptunian_Slug)\
**Post date:** [September 22, 2007, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-limits-on-foreign-fund-raising/419889/5 "2007-09-22T03:54:27Z")

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[QUOTE=Linty McGinty McGee]  
I see Rudy Giuliani is in London to raise money, and apparently he wasn’t the only candidate.  
Can a Saudi prince or a foreign government, say North Korea, try to buy an election by simply handing someone a billion for blanket coverage TV ads?  
Are there limits of any kind?  
[/QUOTE]

Yes there is a limit: $0.

The people who contributed were US Citizens. Any non-US citizens who were they may have been admitted gratis or with a contribution to charity. But Rusy couldn’t accept anything from them.

[US candidates follow money trail to London](http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2174508,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront)