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Notes -
But the FEC did find AMI paying McDougal (the other woman alleged to have an affair with Trump) off was a campaign finance violation. So i am not sure how much we should Smith's words count here. Note this was even with the FEC committee being split 50-50 Republican and Democrat.
"The FEC ruling states that the Enquirer's publisher, American Media Inc, "knowingly and wilfully" violated election laws by paying for the rights to Ms McDougal's story and never publishing it in a practice known as "catch and kill"."
So the FEC itself does seem to feel that paying off alleged affair partners does itself count as a campaign expenditure.
Had they paid for the story and then published it would it have been a contribution for Trump's opponent?
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Do you think a presidential candidate could use campaign funds to do it? Again at best the law is murky which seriously calls into question that there was an intent to violate the law AND would call into question whether it was void for vagueness.
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