[arasina]

I'm not sure I understand what exactly occurred though. What is this scandal about? It seems like awfully small potatoes ($45K since 1997-that's $3K per year over 15 years-for the highest bribe amount recipient, Republican Spencer Bachus) so is this much ado about little or is there more to it?

Please note: I am not saying corruption of any kind is acceptable; it's just that we have seen far worse corruption than this and it simply fades away.

[Tench_Coxe]

Barney Frank - House Financial Services committee.
Think Freddie, Fannie, and the collapse of the real estate market in 2008.

[DesertRhino]

For one thing HSBC knowingly laundered Billions of dollars for the Mexican cartels. The fine HSBC paid is a billion, if that clues you to the amount they laundered.

Then they take drug money and buy politicians to make sure the drug miney keeps rolling in. Oh,, and this doper bank got 3 billion from TARP by way of AIG. Your Fed, doing what it does best in secret.

[Steve Peacock]

arasina: Some of the other commenters summed it up well, so I won’t be (too) redundant. I’m not describing the donations as scandalous — indeed, they are completely legal, albeit in an unethical way — but was referring to the recent Senate investigation into HSBC, during which they were exposed for laundering funds for drug cartels, terrorist, etc.