The federal bribery charges against U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez in no way intrude on legislative activity protected by the Constitution’s speech-or-debate clause, the Justice Department said this week, urging the Supreme Court not to take up the lawmaker’s appeal….
Petitioner has not cited any decision, by any court, holding that the Clause protects conduct like that alleged here,” several solicitors general wrote in a brief filed on Monday. “Instead, he contends … that the court of appeals erred by examining the ‘purpose’ or ‘motive’ of his lobbying. But the court conducted that inquiry only because it adopted petitioner’s view that the Speech or Debate Clause protects efforts to lobby the Executive Branch if those efforts are aimed at ‘policy’ rather than a particular case.”
I don’t think they meant “several solicitors general”