The Marianas story is connected to the Abramoff scandal, but it doesn’t depend on it. Corruption is an excuse for Burns’s behavior. If you want to argue that the donation he received didn’t affect his vote, you’re arguing that Burns has put a devotion to money in general (rather than a devotion to getting more money for himself) ahead of basic human morality. I find corruption to be more forgivable, as it’s a basic and common human failing. To make an objective decision to value a small negative effect on the economy over sex slavery and forced abortions is incomprehensible. Either way, voting for Burns is something that no one should be able to bring themselves to do out of basic human decency.