new york — Former President Donald Trump’s lawyer sought to cast doubt on a central argument in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case just minutes after cross-examining the prosecution’s first witness.
Defense attorney Emile Bove questioned former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker about the tabloid’s business practices, asking him to keep the story out of the public domain, as he did with Trump. He noted that buying is not unusual for what the paper calls its “checkbook journalism.” ” Prosecutors had previously questioned Pecker about the details of purchasing an article about former Playboy model Karen McDougall’s alleged affair with Trump, and one of the three cases prosecutors allege was Pecker’s. , Trump’s former lawyer Michael Cohen, and claims to prove an illegal “conspiracy” by Trump to influence the 2016 election. Mr. Trump.
Bove tried to flip the script and prove that the deal with McDougall was just “standard” procedure. He is a member of Pecker’s list of other high-profile individuals, including politicians such as current U.S. ambassador to Japan and former Democratic Chicago mayor Rahm Emanuel and former Republican California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He highlighted multiple examples of suppressing articles harmful to the public. (Related: ‘Trial by ambush’: Former federal prosecutor says Alvin Bragg’s strategy is unlike anything he’s seen before)
Defense attorney Emile Bove has begun questioning AMI’s business model. Pecker agrees that this is a different kind of “checkbook journalism” than ABC.
Pecker agrees that they sometimes buy articles to use as leverage against celebrities.
— Katelyn Richardson (@katesrichardson) April 25, 2024
He also emphasized that Pecker’s relationship with Trump predates the 2016 election. Bove said Pecker acknowledged that he had been warning Trump about the potential for bad publicity for more than a decade, the first time he did so in 1998.
Mr. Pecker agreed that he published articles about Mr. Trump because they were “good for business.” The two had a “mutually beneficial” business relationship. Mr. Trump also intended to tip Mr. Pecker information about “The Apprentice,” including ratings and access to participants.
“You had never heard of the phrase ‘catch and kill’ before this investigation began, did you?” Bove asked, referring to the prosecutor’s account of Pecker’s purchase of the McDougall article.
Pecker agreed. Trump, who was sitting next to his lawyer, shook his head.
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass had earlier used questioning to detail the transactions in which Mr. Pecker purchased Mr. McDougal’s work, showing jurors various contracts and invoices. Mr. Bragg’s team also asked Mr. Pecker whether Mr. Trump’s concerns were for his campaign or his family, and whether Mr. Pecker had consulted an election lawyer about the matter.
Pecker began testifying on Tuesday, a short day because the trial ended early because of the Passover holiday. Both sides made opening statements Monday.
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