[otterley]

It's not legal to pay off political leaders in the U.S. You can spend nearly as much as you want on lobbyists and campaigning, but the money has to stay with the lobbyists and the campaign organizations. And direct contributions by individuals are capped at relatively low levels.

In fact, the law is so strict in the U.S. that you can't even bribe foreign leaders either (see the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act).