Ex-Lawyer Michael Cohen Attempted Photoshoot to Make Trump Jealous, Reveals David Pecker

During the hush money trial in Manhattan, magazine mogul David Pecker provided testimony revealing an intriguing anecdote about Donald Trump’s former lawyer, Michael Cohen. Pecker, who had been in contact with Cohen since 2007, disclosed that Cohen had once requested him to arrange a photoshoot with entrepreneur Mark Cuban in the summer of 2016. The purpose of this photoshoot, according to Pecker’s testimony, was to make Trump jealous. However, it appears that the photos of Cohen and Cuban were never published.

Under cross-examination, Trump attorney Emil Bove questioned whether the photo op was intended to pressure President Trump into treating Cohen differently. Although Pecker stated that Cohen never explicitly mentioned this motive, he ultimately admitted that such photos could indeed exert such pressure. Pecker also acknowledged that he believed Cohen had a tendency to exaggerate.

Cohen, who left the Trump Organization in 2018, has since become one of the former president’s most vocal critics. He was subsequently sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to various charges, including breaching campaign finance law, lying to US congressional committees, and tax evasion.

Pecker, under further cross-examination, maintained the truthfulness of his testimony to the best of his recollection. He also stood by his previous statements regarding the payment made to Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal to silence her allegations against Trump, despite Bove’s attempts to challenge his account.

Meanwhile, Trump expressed his dissatisfaction with spending his wife Melania’s birthday at the trial. Following Pecker’s testimony, two more witnesses were called to the stand. Former Trump assistant Rhona Graff testified that she had seen porn star Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower, and there were rumors among the office staff that Daniels was being considered for a spot on “Celebrity Apprentice,” a show previously hosted by Trump. However, as previously revealed in court, Daniels had further interactions with Trump after Cohen had purchased her story of an alleged one-night stand with him in 2007 for $130,000 to prevent its publication.

Graff’s testimony lasted for 30 minutes, after which banker Gary Farro took the stand. Farro testified that he assisted in setting up a shell company called Essential Consultants LLC for Cohen, which was later involved in an unsuccessful attempt to conceal the $130,000 payment made to Daniels.