Ted Cruz: Zoning Waiver May be Corrupt
on Saturday, March 5, 2016Ted Cruz Money Quote saying during the March 3 Republican Presidential debate that it would be understandably corrupt if Donald Trump was contributing to NY City commission as a real estate developer. Ted Cruz said:
“Listen, we could all understand if you write a check to a city commission because you’re looking for a zoning waiver on building a building. That may be corrupt, but you could understand real estate developers doing that” — Ted Cruz
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Ted Cruz seems to be acknowledging that while giving money to local politicians in exchange for favors like zoning approvals could be seen as corrupt, it is at least an understandable action from the perspective of real estate developers wanting to advance their business interests.
However, Cruz may not necessarily be condoning such behavior. His point appears to be that developers have financial motivations to try to curry political favor through donations, even if doing so blurs ethical lines.
Overall, the quote reflects a nuanced view that while such transactions could be corrupt, the pragmatic concerns of developers attempting to influence the process are also somewhat comprehensible, even if not fully justified.