It becomes illegal when it's done to benefit a campaign and is not reported. Do you think Cohen believed he was helping Trump's campaign by doing this?
Types of contributions
Contributions are the most common source of campaign support.
A contribution is anything of value given, loaned or advanced to influence a federal election. It is important to understand which receipts are considered contributions because:
- Contributions count toward the thresholdthat determines whether an individual has qualified as a candidate under the Federal Election Campaign Act (the Act).
- Contributions are subject to the Act’s prohibitions against contributions from certain sources.
- Contributions are subject to the Act’s limits on the amount of contributions.
Like all receipts, contributions are also subject to the Act’s
recordkeeping and
reporting requirements.
Read more.
Types of contributions - FEC.gov