It is pretty simple. The porn star and playmate's involvement with Trump wasn't worth much money to tabloids before Trump ran for president. It was just more of the same. But when he chose to run as a Republican the value of their stories went up dramatically. His campaign was obviously the direct cause of the interest in their stories and Trump's need to mute them. To claim it had nothing to do with the campaign is just plain foolish.
It doesn't really matter if it was technically legal or not. It was foggy enough during a political campaign to start a legal investigation. It opened the door to get into Cohen and Trump's financial records. It put Cohen in prison. And Cohen was doing Trump's bidding. That's the consequences of Trump's stupid porn star/playmate activities.
You say it is nothing. It could well be what ends Trump's presidency. It certainly ended Cohen's career and freedom. That's the problem with low character full of baggage candidates. It is a time bomb waiting to go off.
I remember it a little different. IIRC, at least one of these was a tabloid paying, or at least promising to pay, for exclusive story rights and then squashing the story. Then the bimbo(s?) claimed that they weren't paid (enough?) when THEY realized there was real money to be had. Actually, I THINK that was the formerly hottest chick to ever live, and the old stripper's argument was that since her agreement was with trump and the payment didn't come directly from trump she was free to back out.
But don't trust my memory, those are the kind of details I just don't care enough to really commit to memory.
If I'm wrong, yeah this was all about the election. I don't know the wording of the law, but I'm sure he's guilty as heck. But I also think this could be darn hard to prove.
If I'm right (and the hush money deals were older and the "ladies" changed their tune because of the election), then I'm not sure there's guilt there to begin with.
