L'aveu de l'avocat de Donald Trump, Michael Cohen, selon lequel il a versé 130 000 £ à la star de films pour adultes Stormy Daniels, apparemment pour lui soutirer du silence, peu avant l'élection de 2016, ne fait pas disparaître les problèmes juridiques de la campagne Trump, malgré les affirmations de Cohen.

As Trump’s personal attorney, Cohen was an agent of then-candidate Trump. The timing and circumstances of the $130,000 payment to Daniels make it appear that the hush money was paid to Daniels in an effort to influence the election. Any payment by a person such as Cohen on behalf of or in consultation with a candidate to influence an election is an in-kind “contribution” to the candidate under campaign finance law subject to a $2,700 limit and disclosure requirements.

At the very least this latest admission by Cohen and the circumstances behind it requires a full investigation by the FEC and the Department of Justice as we requested last month. Cohen has now admitted to being the “John Doe” named in our complaints who paid off Daniels, apparently to buy her silence, at a time when she was reportedly negotiating with major media outlets to discuss the potentially damaging details of a relationship she carried on with Trump. Questions about the payment and the circumstances behind it must be answered, and they must be answered under oath.

To read Common Cause’s original DOJ and FEC complaints related to this payment, Cliquez ici et ici.