new york– Lawyers for former President Donald Trump on Friday announced that Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, will be closing his first full week of testimony. I tried to poke holes in credibility.
Defense attorney Emile Beauvais resumed his cross-examination of Pecker on Friday morning, trying to tease out inconsistencies in his testimony while also saying that buying articles was “standard operating procedure” for Pecker’s tabloid. He continued to emphasize that point. Some jabs seemed to land, others didn’t, but the exchange nonetheless came during a tedious day that also included testimony from two new witnesses and laid the groundwork for both sides. It became the most heated one.
Mr. Pecker told Bove at the end of his cross-examination that he was “honest to the best of my recollection.” Bove went back and forth between different topics in an attempt to highlight the contradictions.
Some of the issues were relatively minor, such as whether President Trump expressed gratitude during a 2017 Trump Tower meeting that “covered” Karen McDougal and the doorman’s story. Some items will have a larger impact, such as whether American Media’s 2021 arbitration agreement with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) included an admission of campaign finance violations.
“Was that also a mistake?” Beauvais pressed Pecker on the former point. Mr. Pecker refused to recant his previous testimony.
Mr. Bove also sought to prove that Mr. Pecker and Mr. McDougall’s contract had a “legitimate business purpose.” At one point, after consulting with his attorney, Mr. Pecker agreed to tell Mr. Cohen that the agreement was “bulletproof.”
President Trump faces 34 felonies for allegedly falsifying records related to a $130,000 payment he made in 2016 to porn actress Stormy Daniels to hush up allegations of an affair. Prosecutors say Mr. Trump, along with Mr. Pecker and Mr. Cohen, engaged in a “conspiracy” to illegally influence the 2016 election (a crime not mentioned in the indictment) and that Mr. Trump sent payments to Mr. Daniels to Mr. Cohen. They are seeking proof that they tried to cover up the conspiracy by falsifying records of repayments.
The “conspiracy” that prosecutors allege involves a doorman’s false claim that President Trump fathered an illegitimate child, former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s allegation of an affair, and porn star Stormy Daniel’s alleged affair. Includes payments to cover up harmful coverage.
Beauvais asked Pecker why he bought the doorman’s false story that Trump had an illegitimate child. Pecker agrees that buying the story made good business sense and would have been worth a lot of money if it were true.
— Katelyn Richardson (@katesrichardson) April 26, 2024
After Bove was seated, prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who took the stand to question Mr. Pecker again, overturned the defense’s claim that this was all “standard operating procedure” and said that Mr. Pecker was inaccurate. He attempted to refute the suggestion that he had made a statement that was inappropriate.
In response to the defense’s suggestion that non-disclosure agreements with sources are typical of tabloid newspapers, Steinglass questioned how many other contracts the CEO had arranged with presidential candidates to benefit the campaign. Asked.
“That’s the only one,” Pecker said. (Related: Trump defense attorney delivers devastating blow to Alvin Bragg case just minutes into cross-examination)
Steinglass said the story about a Playboy model having a sexual relationship with a presidential candidate would likely be “like the National Enquirer’s money,” if they were to “kill” it because it helped Trump. He pointed out that it would sell well.
“Yes,” Pecker said.
The view outside the court.
Some Trump flags, lots of media. @DailyCaller pic.twitter.com/Gbmb4eHSUa
— Katelyn Richardson (@katesrichardson) April 26, 2024
Pecker finished testifying on Friday, his fourth day on the stand, allowing two new witnesses to be sworn in.
Trump’s former chief of staff, Lorna Graf, answered prosecutors’ questions about Trump’s calendar, contacts and emails, which she was responsible for organizing. Graff said she once recalled meeting Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower and wondered if it was to discuss her appearance on The Apprentice, and that the Trump Organization was paying her legal fees. She said there is.
She had only positive things to say about her former boss, calling him “fair and polite.” In response to questions from Trump’s attorney Susan Necheres, he also pointed out that Trump sometimes signs checks while working multiple jobs.
Gary Faro, a former managing director at First Republic Bank, which had Mr. Cohen as a client, also testified.
Prosecutor Rebecca Mangold told Farro that Resolution Consultants, the organization Cohen planned to use to pay McDougal, and Essential Consultants, the organization Cohen set up to pay Stormy Daniels. The jury was shown emails and documents related to Cohen’s request to create an account.
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