Former tabloid boss David Pecker provides insight on a conspirary to hide details of Donald Trump's seedy life, keeping his presidential hopes alive in 2016

David Pecker on the witness stand (The Independent)

 

The New York criminal trial against former president Donald Trump generally has been described as a hush-money case designed to buy the silence of  porn star Stormy Daniels about an alleged extramarital affair with Trump. Testimony from a former tabloid publisher indicates the case more accurately could be described as a "catch and skill" scheme, involving journalistic and financial chicanery to help hide Trump's ties to Daniels and keep his hopes in the 2016 presidential election afloat.

In earlier testimony, the publisher -- David Pecker, of the National Enquirer -- placed himself at the center of a scheme, which he coordinated with Trump and former fixer Michael Cohen. The goal was to impact the results of the election, in Trump's favor. Pecker is scheduled to return to the stand this morning, and a report from Axios indicates Pecker already has placed Trump at the center of a scheme to alter a presidential election -- putting Trump in legal jeopardy and perhaps adding to the evidence against the presumptive Republican nominee for 2024. Will Pecker's words from the witness stand make things worse for Trump? We could find out this morning. Under the headline "Trump put at center of "catch and kill" scheme by Ex-National Enquirer publisher," Axios' Sophia Cai reports:

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker told jurors Tuesday how he would suppress stories critical of former President Trump and encourage stories targeting his rivals during the 2016 election.

Why it matters: His two-hour-long testimony placed Trump at the center of a deliberate strategy to pay hush money for exclusive rights to any potentially damaging story about him during his first presidential campaign.

• "I would describe [him] as very knowledgable, detail-oriented," Pecker said when asked by prosecutors to describe Trump as a businessman. "I would describe him as a micromanager [who] looked at all the aspects, no matter what the issue was."

Cai describes some of Pecker's most damaging testimony -- so far. She writes:

What we're watching: Pecker, a longtime friend of the ex-president, detailed to the jury how he met with Trump and Trump's then-lawyer Michael Cohen in August 2015 and agreed to help his presidential bid.

• "I said I would run positive stories about Trump and I would publish negative stories about his opponent," he said.
• "I said I would also be your eyes and ears because I know that the Trump Organization had a very small staff."
• Pecker provided a play-by-play of how he and Cohen — in coordination with Trump — intercepted stories about Trump's alleged affair with former Playboy model Karen McDougal, as well as an uncorroborated story that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock with a former housekeeper.

The details: Pecker testified that Cohen told him Trump would be willing to take a DNA test to show the ex-housekeeper's story was false, and that "the boss would be very pleased" if Pecker could kill it. 

Pecker's testimony today could be the most riveting moment of the trial to this point, Cai reports:

• Ultimately, Pecker said he decided to buy the story for $30,000 — a much larger sum than the National Enquirer would usually pay for a celebrity story — "because of the potential embarrassment it would have to the campaign and Mr. Trump."

What's next: Pecker is expected to return to the witness stand Thursday (4/25/24) and provide details on his role in intercepting the story of Trump's alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels.

In essence, Pecker served as Trump's journalistic protector, ensuring that details of the defendant's dysfunctional, seedy life did not reach the public, perhaps providing the advantage that swung a close race against Hillary Clinton in Trump's favor.