Uh, I think that falls in the category of legitimate legal services. The standard is whether a reasonable businessperson would regard it as a necessary cost of doing business. Settlements of claims to forestall ruinous litigation costs is always a reasonable business expense.
Paula Jones sued Bill Clinton for allegedly exposing himself to her in a hotel room in 1991. In April 1998, the case was dismissed by Republican Judge Susan Webber Wright as lacking legal merit and Jones could not show damages. But Jones appealed Webber Wright's ruling, and her suit gained traction following Clinton's admission to having an affair with Monica Lewinsky in August 1998. (This admission indicated that Clinton may have lied under oath when he testified, in the Jones case, that he had never had a sexual relationship with Lewinsky.)Clinton commits a sexual crime, pays off the plaintiff, and all is ok.On appeal, in the midst of his trial for impeachment based on his testimony in the Jones case, Clinton was faced with the prospect of having to go under oath again and testify more about his sexual history. Instead, Clinton agreed to an out-of-court settlement, paying Jones and her lawyers $850,000 to drop the suit without admitting liability. Clinton's lawyer said that the president made the settlement only so he could end the lawsuit for good and move on with his life
Trump maybe had consensual sex, pays off the plaintiff, and is claimed to have committed a crime.
If it weren't for double standards, Democrats would not have any standards at all.
So did Cohen use his own money? And is this an example of really, really, really, stretching things?