Federal Election Commission records show three payments made from the Trump campaign to a firm representing Cohen. The "legal consulting" payments were made to McDermott Will and Emery -- a law firm where Cohen's attorney Stephen Ryan is a partner -- between October 2017 and January 2018.

It was those three payments, sources tell ABC News, that were related to Cohen's legal defense.

Cohen has said that he did not have a formal role in the Trump campaign, and it is illegal to spend campaign funds for personal use - defined by the FEC as payments for expenses "that would exist irrespective of the candidate's campaign or responsibilities as a federal officeholder."