Michael Cohen’s attorney and advisor Lanny Davis asks why what was illegal for his client to do on behalf of President Donald Trump was not also illegal for the president himself.

The answer is clear: The president, or any other candidate, can make any donation to his own campaign he wishes, not subject to any limitation.

It was illegal for Cohen to pay over $100,000 to Stormy Daniels and other women to keep quiet about their relationship with Trump.

That’s because Cohen is limited in the amount he can contribute to a federal candidate. But if the check had come from Trump instead of Cohen, it would not have been illegal.

The whole affair is reminiscent of the situation involving presidential candidate John Edwards and heiress Bunny Mellon. Bunny spent upwards of $700,000 to keep Edwards’ mistress Rielle Hunter silent about their affair and their child together.

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Then, as in this case, the fact that the money came from Mellon made it an illegal campaign contribution.

Illegal for Bunny but not for Edwards.

The former vice-presidential candidate was indicted on six counts by federal prosecutors.

The result was that he was acquitted on one and a hung jury on the other five counts.

The cases are directly parallel. Instead of Donald Trump, we had John Edwards.

Instead of Rielle Hunter, we have Stormy Daniels.

And instead of Michael Cohen, we have Bunny Mellon. (And instead of an affair that led to a child, we have unsubstantiated allegations of sex between Trump and Daniels).

Finally — the key difference — is that Trump is a Republican and the enemy of the media and Edwards was a Democrat and their darling.

What was illegal for Cohen was not illegal for Trump and that is the bottom line.

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