In April 2023, former President Donald Trump was indicted on 34 felony counts of falsifying business documents related to the Stormy Daniels hush money scheme. The charges, initially seen as a “zombie case,” have now taken a new turn as prosecutors present their case as a “criminal conspiracy” to manipulate voters and win the 2016 election.
Prosecutors allege that Trump, along with Cohen and Pecker, conspired to cover up potentially damaging stories about Trump during the Republican nomination and general election campaigns. Cohen paid off Daniels to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump, which prosecutors argue was an illegal in-kind donation to the campaign.
Trump’s defense team has objected to the use of the term “conspiracy,” arguing that it is not included in the initial indictment. However, prosecutors maintain that the business records felony requires proof of another crime, which they allege to be a conspiracy to violate election law.
Testimony from Pecker, the former CEO of American Media Inc., has provided evidence of the alleged conspiracy. Pecker testified that he received instructions from Cohen to run negative stories about Trump’s primary opponents and to kill stories that could damage Trump’s campaign.
Prosecutors argue that this agreement, which included paying sources to kill stories, transformed the relationship between Pecker and Trump from a normal journalist-source arrangement into a criminal conspiracy.
The defense is expected to portray Pecker as a “rat” who betrayed Trump to save his own skin. They may also argue that the unusual cooperation deal between Trump and Pecker was typical of journalist-source relationships.
The trial is ongoing, with Pecker’s testimony set to continue on Thursday. The outcome of the trial could have significant implications for Trump’s future political aspirations.
