USA Today: Did the $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels break the law?
The new revelations about President Trump and his lawyer’s payment to a porn star who says she had an affair with Trump have prompted campaign-finance watchdogs and some Democrats on Capitol Hill to renew their calls for a federal investigation.
On Monday, Common Cause filed updated complaints with the Federal Election Commission and the Department of Justice, arguing that a lawsuit filed last week by adult film actress Stormy Daniels demonstrates that a $130,000 payment to her broke election laws.
...
"It's very strong evidence that this was about the election," said Larry Noble, a former Federal Election Commission lawyer who is now senior director of the nonprofit Campaign Legal Center. "If he was not running for election, they would not have done this."
...
Noble, the former FEC official, said regulators might not look askance at the mere use of the corporate email account. "If it was one or two emails, I would say 'no,' " he said. But they might want to know whether it represents a larger role by the company, he added.