In the second line of the stimulus Murray uses the term 'criticism'. If he believed that there was nothing wrong with accepting gifts, why would he use that word instead of a neutral word like 'comment' or 'statement'? Murray also uses the word 'accuse', which indicates that Jane's accusation is based on a moral principle that he recognizes.
Further, with respect to (E), Jane has not admitted that other politicians have accepted gifts, only that she has not criticized them for it. It's possible, for example, that Jane has not verified if other politicians have accepted gifts.
If a teacher says "I have not criticized Alex for submitting his work late because I did not check my inbox by 9pm", its clear that though the phrase "I have... late" is similar to the phrasing in Jane's comment ("I have... others"), Alex could have submitted his work on time just as easily as he could have submitted it late.
Could someone please comment on why this is not a valid justification?
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Great question. First, one might argue that if Murray believes that Jane thinks it is wrong to accept gifts from lobbyists then it would make perfect sense to use the word criticism even if Murray doesn’t think the action is wrong. In normal conversation, we use the word “criticism” all the time even if we do not think that the action in question is somehow immoral. For example, someone might criticize you for spending too much time studying for the LSAT. You may acknowledge that they are criticizing you even if you don’t believe that there is anything wrong with your study habits.
For your concern about answer choice E, it says “one or more politicians” and Senator Brandon is a politician, so even if no other politicians have accepted gifts, one is sufficient for this answer choice.
