Was $228K Payment To Michael Cohen Tied To Stormy Daniels Hush Deal?
Michael Cohen Image by Gettty Images
The Trump campaign may have violated campaign finance laws by spending nearly $228,000 in campaign funds to cover the legal expenses for President Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen, ABC News reported.
Federal Election Commission records show three payments from the Trump campaign to a firm representing Cohen for “legal consulting,” ABC reported. It is illegal to spend campaign funds for personal use, though Cohen has said that he had no role in the campaign.
“If the payments referenced in the FEC filings are related to the Russia investigation, they likely wouldn’t violate campaign finance law, as the investigation is related to the 2016 presidential campaign,” ABC News reported.
However, if it is found that the payments to Cohen’s firm were related to the Stormy Daniels scandal, in which Cohen paid $130,000 to the adult film actress shortly before the election to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, the campaign could be in trouble.
Contact Haley Cohen at hcohen@forward.com
A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen
I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.
We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.
If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.
— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO
