David Pecker, who ran the National Enquirer empire, confirmed under oath yesterday that he used catch-and-kill payments to help Donald Trump’s campaign — and that his text messages didn’t help the former president, either.
In his second day of testimony, the former Trump friend calmly described cash-for-cash transactions in two such cases: one for a story that turned out to be absolutely false, and one to buy the silence of a former playboy. Classmate Karen McDougallWho alleges a 10-month affair which Trump denies.
Time ran out before we could reach Stormy Daniels, whose account of a one-night sexual encounter with Trump — which he also denies — is at the center of the case, at least if it can be linked to falsified business records.
being interrogated by Manhattan Assistant DA Josh Steinglass, Pecker, said he also sees it as his duty to the campaign to help keep damaging Trump stories away from other publications.
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On the second day of his testimony in the secret money trial, Pecker said former trump fixer Michael Cohen invited him to the candidate’s launch in June 2015, as part of an effort to show how close he was to Trump and his team. (My personal favorite: They put out a magazine called Trump Style, and Trump leaked the ratings for “The Apprentice” to them, which the Enquirer would publish.)
In August 2015, in a meeting with Trump and Cohen, Pecker says he was asked: “What can I do, and what can my magazines do, to help the campaign.”
His response: “I will run or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and negative stories about his opponents.” Pecker testified, Cohen said he could kill such stories even if they were scheduled to run in another publication.
The positive stories were easy: “Donald Trump: The healthiest person ever elected!”
Michael Cohen, former personal lawyer to US President Donald Trump, outside federal court in New York, US, on Thursday, December 14, 2023. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
But Cohen would call, ask about a negative story on, say, Ted Cruz, send the information, “and we’d sort it out from there.”
Which led to the “Ted Cruz sex scandal: 5 secret mistresses” – Totally fake news. (And who can forget the fake Enquirer story linking Cruz’s father to the JFK assassination?)
Or a hit piece will be requested on ben carson,
“Surgeon Ben Carson leaves sponge in patient’s brain.”
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One factor that could work in Trump’s favor — or with a lone juror holdout — is that both Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal were in talks to sell their stories. final stretch of the campaign, when the candidate will be most vulnerable.
Pecker described paying a former doorman at a Trump building $30,000 to break a story about the candidate fathering a child out of wedlock. But an Enquirer found the story to be completely false. Interestingly, if it had been confirmed, Pekar said he would have run it after the election.
Along with McDougall, who was reportedly in talks with ABC, Pecker had Inquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard investigate and he found her account credible. Cohen continued to call for updates, and Trump was so concerned that he called Pecker himself. Pecker said they should buy his story and suppress it.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker speaking as a witness during the criminal trial of former US President Donald Trump on charges that he paid porn star Stormy Daniels to silence her in Manhattan state court in New York City, US, in 2016 Business records were falsified to hide the money. 22, 2024, in this courtroom sketch. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Trump opposed this, saying that when you do this, it always comes out and you look worse.
But Pecker insisted. So the Enquirer arranged for a payment of $150,000 to be paid to McDougall for writing a fitness column For another magazine from parent company America Media — and keep quiet about Trump, he testified.
Now this has nothing to do with the core of the legal case, which is about falsifying business records to hide reimbursements made to Cohen. But this is very boring stuff.
What prosecutors were trying to do was tell a story with Pecker—who is testifying under a previous grant of immunity—more credible than the disenfranchised, later-jailed Cohen, whose credibility was compromised. But there will be fierce attacks.
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Next, Pekar will tell Stormy Daniels’ story tomorrow, there will be no hearing proceedings today. And, presumably, he eventually fell out with Trump.
Earlier, Judge Juan Marchon heard from both sides on whether Trump violated his gag order by attacking other witnesses — namely Cohen and Stormey — and inciting the former president’s attorney.
Prosecutors said Trump violated the gag order 10 times, and proposed a fine of $1,000 per incident. So the whole argument was about $10,000 – which is a complete error for Trump, even in a cash-strapped situation.
The former president’s attorney Todd Blanche said there was “no intentional violation of any restraining order” and that his client was allowed to respond to Cohen and Daniels’ attacks.
Prosecutor Matthew Colangelo delivers opening statements as former US President Donald Trump appears with his attorney Todd Blanche before Justice Juan Merchan during Trump’s criminal trial in Manhattan state court on charges that he sexually assaulted porn star Stormi in 2016. Falsified business records to hide money paid to keep Daniels quiet. In this courtroom sketch on April 22, 2024 in New York City, US. (Reuters/Jane Rosenberg)
Blanche had a weak hand to play, and Marchen continued to press her for specific comments about Cohen and Daniels.
The judge became frustrated, raising his voice at one point: “I keep asking you to answer again and again and I’m not getting any.”
It is “silly,” Merchan said, to assume that the sanctions order was somehow waived because Trump was attacked.
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Finally, the judge scolds Blanche: “You are losing all credibility in court. You have presented nothing.”
Judge Merchan made no decision yesterday, but it is quite clear what he intends to do.
