Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker returned to the witness stand on the second day of Donald Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial, detailing an intricate scheme involving Trump and his personal attorney Michael Cohen to suppress negative news during the 2016 presidential election. Pecker’s testimony focused on a ‘catch-and-kill’ operation, where the Enquirer would purchase exclusive rights to potentially damaging stories about Trump and then never publish them, effectively burying the information from voters.
Trump is accused of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the election. Prosecutors allege that this payment violated state election law and constituted an attempt to interfere in the election by keeping damaging stories from the public.
Pecker’s testimony provided insight into the inner workings of the ‘catch-and-kill’ scheme and the involvement of Trump and Cohen. Prosecutors presented evidence of three such schemes orchestrated by Pecker on behalf of Trump, including the payment to Daniels, a payment to Playboy model Karen McDougal for her story about an affair with Trump, and a payment to a former doorman at Trump Tower for his unsubstantiated claim that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock.
The trial has also been marked by discussions of a gag order imposed on Trump, barring him from making public statements about the case. The judge expressed concerns about Trump’s social media posts, which may violate the order, and a hearing was scheduled to address this issue.
