Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker emerged as a key witness in Donald Trump’s criminal trial on Thursday, revealing a complex web of hush money payments and suppression tactics employed to silence women who claimed sexual encounters with Trump during the 2016 presidential election.
Pecker’s testimony painted a damning picture of Trump as a willing participant in a scheme to influence the election’s outcome. He described how American Media, the Enquirer’s owner, purchased the rights to stories from former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who alleged an affair with Trump, and a former Trump Tower doorman who falsely claimed Trump fathered an illegitimate child. These stories were never published, a practice known as “catch and kill,” ensuring that they would not damage Trump’s presidential bid.
Pecker’s involvement extended beyond these two cases. He testified that he alerted Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, when he learned that porn star Stormy Daniels was seeking to sell her story of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump for $120,000. Pecker declined to purchase Daniels’ story but suggested that Cohen and Trump acquire it. Cohen eventually paid Daniels $130,000 to remain silent, an act that prosecutors contend was an illegal campaign expense.
Pecker’s testimony also revealed a tense relationship between himself, Cohen, and Trump. He described a heated exchange with Cohen when he refused to buy Daniels’ story and a furious reaction from Trump when he allowed McDougal to speak to the media after news of the hush money deal became public.
The trial, which marks the first time a former U.S. president has faced criminal charges, has major political implications for Trump as he prepares for a potential rematch with President Joe Biden in the 2024 election. Trump’s lawyers have argued that the hush money payments were personal and unrelated to the campaign, but prosecutors maintain that they were an attempt to deceive voters by suppressing potentially damaging information about Trump’s alleged extramarital affairs.
