“hush money” = non-disclosure agreement (NDA).
It’s perfectly legal.
It’s also perfectly legal to take money from U.S. citizens by force. Try not paying “your” taxes. Armed people will force you to pay or take your freedoms or your life away from you.
I heard an attorney on the radio say that you can tell the slant of any report on this issue by the use of the terms "non-disclosure agreement" or "hush money." The former is unbiased, the latter is sensationalized.