A: It’s all legal as long as contributions aren’t exchanged for political favors.

B: How can you be sure of that? Politicians have certainly operated outside of the law with a number of quid pro quo agreements.

Note: This term means “something given or received for something else.” The Latin phrase it came from may be translated as “something for something.” The saying originated with apothecaries — people who prepare and sell drugs or compounds for medicinal purposes. In the 16th through the 18th centuries a quid pro quo often referred to the substitution of one medicine for another.