To: Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General and Federal Election Commission

Investigate Trump's Hush Money to Stormy Daniels

We deserve transparency and accountability when it comes to money spent to influence our elections.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Election Commission (FEC) must investigate the payment Trump’s lawyer made to Stormy Daniels, and determine whether he, the president, or his campaign broke federal election laws.

Why is this important?

The American people have a right to know who has influence with our elected officials and we are all agree that no one, not even President Trump is above the law.

Donald Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen has now admitted that he made the $130,000 payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels shortly before the 2016 election. But despite Cohen’s assertions, this admission doesn’t solve the Trump campaign’s legal problems.

As Trump’s personal attorney, Cohen was an agent of then-candidate Trump. And his October 2016 payment to Daniels while she was considering going public about her affair with Trump certainly seems like an effort to influence the election in the form of hush money.

The law says that any money spent to influence an election on a candidate’s behalf is an in-kind “contribution” to that candidate -- subject to a $2,700 limit and disclosure requirements, neither of which were followed here.

That’s why Common Cause has filed official complaints with the DOJ and FEC -- and they must fully investigate whether the hush money paid to Stormy Daniels was an illegal in-kind contribution to the Trump campaign.

We deserve to have transparency about how and where money was spent during Trump’s presidential campaign, and we need to hold our elected officials accountable to the law.

Michael Cohen -- and anyone else involved in this payment -- must answer questions under oath so we can discover the full truth of what happened. And if Cohen didn’t act alone, and he coordinated this payment with Trump or any other member of his campaign, they must be held accountable for breaking the law as well.