Per the FEC and the legislation this guy is misrepresenting a Contribution can be of different types, but speaking to you isn't one of them. All of them are directly about something of monetary value.
https://www.fec.gov/help-candidates-and-committees/candidate-taking-receipts/types-contributions/
You, as I've said, conflate contribution with a simple meeting, and so is the person offering up that nonsense in the article. Per the same legislation a Contribution is not somebody talking to you, it is somebody giving you money or gifts of value (plane tickets, etc.) In your nonsensical reality if he paid them to come to the room it would be cool. If it is the source that makes it "illegal" then paying them doesn't make it better or everybody in DC would be handing a nickle to everybody they met with. Paying somebody to do something illegal on your behalf is the same as taking the action yourself. So, if hearing the information is illegal in itself, then paying to get it is also illegal.
If hearing the information isn't illegal, and paying for it isn't illegal then we have wasted a ton of money only to find out that Trump didn't break any laws at all, nor did HillBillary.