If they violate campaign laws they're just paying a fine for doing it.
This is simply not true. Campaign finance laws are complicated and I do not pretend to be an expert, but you should make careful note of the “s” at the end of the phrase “campaign finance law
s”. We are not talking about a simple single law but rather a category of laws and legal codes. You can go to prison for violation of campaign finance laws. People have gone to prison for violating campaign finance laws. That is not my opinion, that is a fact.
The two counts of violation of campaign finance law the Michael Cohen just pleaded guilty to are felonies. These could and likely will lead to jail time.
(I find it interesting when the topic was illegal border crossing and I pointed out that crossing the border illegally was a misdemeanour, certain people were still content with the idea of locking everyone up for it, but this crime does not seem to elicit the same reaction from them. I wonder why.)