No comparison between Tom Steyer campaign contributions and Russian interference

According to Walt Dybeck, donating to political campaigns is illegal in the United States and considered interference (Tuesday letter to the editor, “California meddling”).

Mr. Dybeck compares Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election to megadonor Tom Steyer “donating” money to political campaigns. There is one major difference between the two. Donations made to political campaigns of U.S. candidates by U.S. citizens are not a crime nor is it interference — no matter what state you live in or to whom you donate. If this were true, all of the lobbyists who have offices in D.C. or in any state capital would not be able to donate the millions of dollars they do to political campaigns. The Koch brothers donate millions to campaigns all over the country, including in Nevada, as do the NRA and many others.

It seems to me that Mr. Dybeck doesn’t seem to grasp what “illegal” means.