Nearly $228,000 was spent by the Trump campaign for some of the legal expenses for Michael Cohen, President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, ABC News is reporting.
The network news attributed the information to sources familiar with the payment.
But the payments raise questions about whether the Trump campaign may have violated campaign finance law, according to ABC News.
Records from the Federal Election Commission reveal three payments were made from the campaign to a firm representing Cohen, ABC News said. The payments for "legal consulting" were made to the firm of McDermott Will and Emery between October 2017 and January 2018.
Cohen’s attorney Stephen Ryan is a partner at the firm.
ABC News noted Cohen has said he had no formal role in the Trump campaign. It pointed out it is illegal to spend campaign funds for personal use.
"They're on shaky legal ground," said Stephen Spaulding, chief of strategy at the nonprofit watchdog group Common Cause. "It sounds like they are really pushing the envelope … If the campaign were to say they are campaign-related payments, then maybe it's okay to use campaign funds. But he can't have it both ways."
Federal prosecutors are currently investigating Cohen $130,000 pre-election payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, who alleges she had a sexual encounter with Trump. In addition, Cohen's taxi business and other personal dealings are being looked at, the Wall Street Journal said. Prosecutors raided Cohen’s home, office and Manhattan hotel room in early April.
The network news said it was not certain what the payments from the Trump campaign were for, but sources tell ABC News they were not related to the Daniels case. Ryan has represented Cohen in matters relating to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe and involving an agreement with Daniels.
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