"Cash is on the table," veteran Republican Marti Halverson says. "I don't know why you're so shocked."

Key points: Veteran Republican says she would not vote for rule that says candidates couldn't 'woo' delegates

Veteran Republican says she would not vote for rule that says candidates couldn't 'woo' delegates 'It is going around that delegates are going to be offered free Cleveland trips', she says

'It is going around that delegates are going to be offered free Cleveland trips', she says Federal Election Commission has never successfully prosecuted anyone for vote-buying

This is not the response I was expecting — my mouth gaping.

I had just finished asking Wyoming National committeewoman Mrs Halverson about the "wooing" of delegates to switch their vote in this very-likely-to-be-contested upcoming Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

Ms Halverson is also opposed to any rule that would stop delegates accepting gifts.

"This is a great country," she said. "We give presents to our friends. No, I would not vote for a rule that said candidates cannot 'woo' delegates. I wouldn't do that. It's not the American way."

But what is the difference between wooing someone and buying their vote without cash?

"Cash is on the table," she replied.

"Absolutely. It is going around that delegates are going to be offered free trips to Cleveland. Not Wyoming delegates, we haven't heard that. But it is on the table. It is not illegal."

I will point out at this stage Mrs Halverson is also a member of the Republican Standing Committee on Rules, which met this past week in Florida.

"And why would we want to make it illegal? Politics is rough and tumble in this country," Mrs Halverson said.

"If there's a loophole, some allowance that a candidate has to make a delegate happy.

"This is a free country. This is a free country despite what a lot of people would like to turn it into. This is still a free country."

Marti Halverson is opposed to any rule that would stop delegates accepting gifts. ( Supplied: martihalverson.com )

The free market of democracy, I suggested, tweaking a line from the Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus, who, when asked to criticise or disendorse Donald Trump over the tycoon's many inflammatory comments, said he would not, because the GOP is "a free market of ideas".

"It's the free market of politics," Mrs Halverson said.

"And we are not a democracy. We're a representative Republic."

She added that both major parties have similar rules.

This will be her fourth convention. What is the biggest incentive you've ever been given, I asked. A swag bag? Free dinner?

"Probably a scarf," she said.

"No, we don't get swag. Let me put it this way: Wyoming doesn't get swag. We have a nice size delegation — 29 delegates — more than 14 other states. But no, we're not courted as some of the bigger states — California, Texas, New York."

Would she be happy to have a free dinner?

"We don't pay for a meal at the convention, however it's usually our coal industry that buys our dinner. It's our transmission line companies that will provide a lunch or something. So it's Wyoming companies," she said.

'Very few restrictions on delegates'

I did ask the Federal Election Commission (FEC) about delegate vote-buying and if there is anything illegal about it.

They have never successfully prosecuted anyone for it in recent times, and they sent me a copy of their guide for delegates and pointed me to Ohio's bribery laws.

The FEC directed me to page 150 of their Campaign Guide for Political Party Committees and their delegate guide.

In reality, there are few restrictions except "delegates may not accept any contributions from sources prohibited from making contributions in connection with federal elections — corporations, labour organisations, foreign nationals or businesses, or Federal Government contractors".

As a former senior lawyer at the FEC told The Washington Post, "we're in uncharted territory".

So, it is not just unclear and ageing federal election laws that are open to abuse — publications like Time Magazine and the Cleveland Plain Dealer have turned to writing about the bribery laws in Ohio written in the 19th Century.

It is a sad omen when the fight for the Oval Office is being framed in this way.

'FEC helpless to stop abuses'

The Federal Election Commission also appears helpless to stop any abuses. Even as far back as May 2015 the head of the FEC described her organisation as "worse than dysfunctional".

Why? Because, as the New York Times reported back then, it's about the "worsening stalemate among the agency's six commissioners".

"They are perpetually locked in 3-to-3 ties along party lines on key votes because of a fundamental disagreement over the mandate of the commission, which was created 40 years ago in response to the political corruption of Watergate," the paper reported.

Australia is not without its problems, but as I put it to Mrs Halverson: "We have people going to jail in Australia for trying to influence the outcome of elections like this."

"You need to loosen up," she said, and walked away.