I think these laws were enacted solely to protect deeply corrupt systems, but I might be biased because I live in Illinois. With laws like this, administration-connected people can be openly corrupt, because the collection of evidence against them is in itself evidence of a crime.

No one is prosecuted for corruption in Illinois unless they become a roadblock in some way to someone with more clout (after which they resign and charges are quietly dropped), or the Feds come to town.