Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker is testifying at Donald Trump’s “hush money” trial, where he is expected to detail schemes to buy and bury stories from a Playboy Playmate and a porn star who claimed to have had trysts with Trump. Pecker was in the middle of describing a conversation he had with Trump regarding a payment to former Playmate Karen McDougal to prevent her story from being published when the court recessed. Pecker has testified that he mostly dealt with Trump’s then-fixer Michael Cohen but that Trump himself called him about McDougal while he was in a meeting with an Enquirer investor.
Pecker wanted to buy McDougal’s story on Trump’s behalf to prevent her from going public, but Trump initially did not want to purchase it, fearing that the truth would eventually come out. Eventually, Pecker, Cohen, and Trump worked together to pay McDougal $150,000 to silence her, which is now a key component of Trump’s criminal trial. Pecker is also expected to detail his role in the $130,000 payout to porn star Stormy Daniels, where he tipped off Cohen that she was trying to sell her story but did not provide the money himself as he had not been reimbursed from the McDougal payoff.
After prosecutors finish questioning him, Trump’s lawyers will have the opportunity to cross-examine Pecker. Trump, who has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of fudging business records by falsely characterizing reimbursements for Cohen’s payment to Daniels as “legal expenses” on company documents. The charge of falsifying business records is a felony if it is done to cover up another crime, and prosecutors argue that the hush money payments were part of a criminal scheme to corrupt the 2016 presidential election.
Pecker’s testimony provides insight into the behind-the-scenes dealings related to the hush money payments made to McDougal and Daniels to keep their stories from going public. His testimony highlights the involvement of Cohen and Trump in the decision-making process and execution of the payments. The revelation that Trump himself was involved in discussions about the McDougal payment sheds light on his knowledge and participation in the scheme. The details provided by Pecker are crucial in understanding the events that led to the payments and their implications in the ongoing criminal trial.
The trial also raises questions about the legality of the hush money payments and their potential impact on the 2016 presidential election. Prosecutors argue that the payments were part of a criminal scheme to influence the election and that the falsification of business records to cover them up constitutes a felony. The testimony from Pecker and other witnesses will be crucial in determining Trump’s guilt or innocence in the charges he faces. The trial represents a significant moment in Trump’s legal battles and could have implications for his political future. Pecker’s testimony provides a window into the inner workings of the payments and sheds light on the connections between Trump, Cohen, and the National Enquirer in orchestrating the scheme.
