The Federal Election Commission on Thursday dropped the case examining whether former President Trump violated election law with the $130,000 payment made by his …
The Federal Election Commission on Thursday dropped the case examining whether former President Trump violated election law with the $130,000 payment made by his ex-attorney Michael Cohen to adult film star Stormy Daniels in the weeks leading up to the 2016 presidential election. The FEC, in its announcement, said Thursday it “failed by a vote of 2-2 to… find reason to believe that Donald J. Trump knowingly and willfully violated” federal election law. According to The New York Times, the FEC’s decision came after the Office of General Counsel in December issued an internal report saying it found “reason to believe” violations of campaign law were made “knowingly and willfully” by the Trump campaign, but during a closed-door meeting in February, the commission, split between three Republicans and three Democrats, declined to continue its probe. Two Republican commissioners voted to dismiss the case, while two Democrats voted to proceed. There was one absence, according to the Times, and one recusal from a Republican. Cohen was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2018, for a range of crimes including tax evasion, campaign-finance violations and lying to Congress.
