Let us assume there is a fictional organization called U.S. Commerce 'R Us whose stated goal is:
To be the voice of business and fight for free enterprise at home and abroad.
They subsist on donations from businesses both domestic and international.
Money is used to buy influence in Government by essentially bankrolling the elections of "business friendly" candidates.
While U.S. Commerce 'R Us does get donations from foreign entities it insists that these funds are not commingled with domestic funds and are not used to buy representatives ...errr I mean representation. In effect there is a "Chinese Wall" between these funds.
Let's say that funds coming from external sources can be used for such things as overhead, events and programs of U.S. Commerce 'R Us.
Say the fictional Chinindia Industries donates $1.00 dollar. Much as they would like to buy Congress they can't. It would be illegal and besides there is that Chinese Wall (and a buck won't get you much anyway).
BUT that Chinese Wall is a sophistry because, for every dollar Chinindia Industries donates, a dollar of domestic funds is freed up to buy a Senator rather than having to spend it on, say, programming. OR you could just cut the pretense and say the Chinindia Industries dollar bought a Senator ... which was, after all, its intended purpose.
