Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, on his third day on the stand in the former president’s “hush money” trial, spoke out against Playboy playmates and others who claim he had an affair with Donald Trump. It is believed to detail a plan to buy up articles on porn stars and kill them. .
Pecker, 72, told the court that he and Trump had discussed whether to pay Karen McDougall, a former Playmate with whom Trump had a year-long affair, to keep her story from becoming public. I was in the middle of explaining the conversation we had. The day ended on Tuesday.
The court then adjourned Wednesday for the judge to oversee other cases.
Mr. Pecker testified that he primarily did business with Michael Cohen, then President Trump’s fixer, but when Mr. Pecker was meeting with investors from the Enquirer in New Jersey, Mr. Trump himself told McDougal. He testified that he called Mr. Pecker about the matter.
Mr. Pecker wanted to buy the article on Mr. Trump’s behalf to prevent Mr. McDougal from publishing it, but Mr. Trump initially feared the truth would later come out, Mr. Pecker said.
“He said, ‘I don’t buy the story.’ When you do something like this, you’re always going to get caught,” Pecker testified.
Mr. Pecker, Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump then worked together to pay Ms. McDougal $150,000 in hush money, a payment that prosecutors say is now a key element of Mr. Trump’s criminal trial. ing.
Pecker is also expected to explain his role in paying porn actress Stormy Daniels $130,000.
Prosecutors have argued that Daniels tipped off Cohen that she was trying to sell her story, but didn’t want to make up the money herself because she hadn’t yet been paid back by McDougal.
After prosecutors finish questioning Pecker, Trump’s lawyers will have a chance to grill him during cross-examination.
The 77-year-old president has pleaded not guilty to 34 charges of falsifying business records, falsely labeling reimbursement payments made by Cohen to Daniels as “legal expenses” in company documents.
The charge of falsifying business records is a serious offense if business records were falsified to cover up another “crime,” but prosecutors believe that the hush money payments were part of a “criminal plan to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.” He claims to have been part of it.
