Bribery is the offering, giving, soliciting, or receiving of something of value in order to influence the actions of a person who holds a public or legal duty (often someone in public office or government). To prove the crime of bribery, the prosecution must demonstrate that there was a quid pro quo exchange in which the recipient (public official) changed or altered his behavior in exchange for the gift (bribe). The quid pro quo relationship between the gift given and the action taken must be clear and direct. For this reason, campaign donations to political candidates generally do not constitute bribery.

In Oregon, bribery is addressed under ORS 162.015 which defines bribery as offering, giving, or agreeing to give something of value to a public servant with the intent to influence the public servant's vote, opinion, judgment, action, decision, or exercise of discretion in an official capacity. Similarly, it is considered bribery for a public servant to solicit, accept, or agree to accept such a benefit under the same conditions. The law requires a clear quid pro quo, meaning there must be a direct exchange of the bribe for a specific action by the public official. Campaign contributions are regulated under different statutes and are not considered bribery as long as they comply with campaign finance laws, which require transparency and limit the amounts and sources of contributions. Violations of bribery statutes are serious offenses and can result in felony charges, carrying significant penalties including fines and imprisonment.