Tag

#campaign-finance

3 incidents

Updated May 30, 2024 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Critical Rights and Rule-of-Law Concern

Stormy Daniels Hush Money: Campaign Finance Felony and Directed Fraud

The $130,000 payment to Daniels was made by Cohen 11 days before the 2016 election to prevent her account from influencing voters. Trump reimbursed Cohen through Trump Organization checks falsely described as payments for legal services. The Manhattan DA's office prosecuted Trump for the falsification of business records; a jury of 12 New Yorkers convicted Trump on all 34 counts on May 30, 2024. Trump was the first sitting or former U.S. president convicted of criminal offenses.

Sources
4
Stormy-Danielshush-moneycampaign-financefelony-convictionpre-presidency
Updated December 12, 2018 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Michael Cohen's Crimes Done at Trump's Direction: Tax Fraud, Bank Fraud, Campaign Finance

Cohen's guilty plea was not just his own conviction — it was Trump's implication. Cohen stated in federal court that the campaign finance crimes (the Daniels and McDougal payments) were committed 'in coordination with and at the direction of' a candidate for federal office. The federal prosecutors who accepted his plea treated Trump as an unindicted co-conspirator. Cohen served three years in federal prison; Trump, protected by the OLC no-indictment policy, was not indicted federally until after leaving office.

Sources
4
Michael-Cohencampaign-financetax-fraudbank-fraudpre-presidency
Updated December 12, 2018 Corruption & Self-Dealing
Major Abuse of Power

Catch and Kill: National Enquirer's AMI Suppressed Stories to Protect Trump's 2016 Campaign

The National Enquirer's 'catch and kill' program operated by buying the rights to stories from people with negative accounts of Trump — paying them for exclusives and then killing the stories. AMI purchased stories involving alleged sexual affairs and other damaging material. Federal prosecutors concluded the scheme constituted illegal campaign contributions; AMI entered a non-prosecution agreement admitting this. David Pecker's cooperation was central to the conviction of Michael Cohen and the eventual conviction of Trump himself.

Sources
4
catch-and-killNational-EnquirerAMIcampaign-financepre-presidency