Michael Cohen, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, has pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance rules—those malleable laws that regulate how much of their own money Americans can spend to voice their political views, and that require citizens to report to the government their political associations. Cohen admitted to two felonies: knowingly and willfully facilitating an illegal corporate contribution and making an illegally large campaign contribution, in each case by arranging hush money payments to women who claim to have had extra-marital affairs with Trump. Cohen says he did so under the direction of “a candidate”—obviously Trump—and for the purpose of “influencing the election,” a very important phrase in all this.
We can reasonably guess why Cohen pled guilty—the fraud and tax charges against him could have left in prison for most of his remaining life. By pleading guilty, it now appears he’ll be sentenced for just a few years. But leaving aside what Cohen pleaded to, are the alleged campaign finance violations really a crime? Bradley Smith answers that question in his latest ppiece for Reason.
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