Former National Enquirer publisher, David Pecker, endured a rigorous cross-examination from former President Donald Trump’s defense team on the fourth day of testimony in the New York hush money trial. Pecker faced several hours of questioning regarding his involvement in what he referred to as a “catch-and-kill” scheme to suppress damaging information about Trump during the 2016 US presidential elections. The trial centers around Trump’s alleged falsification of business documents related to payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Trump, the presumptive 2024 Republican candidate, is facing 34 felony counts in connection to reimbursements made to his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about an alleged affair. Trump has consistently denied the affair, while prosecutors argue that his actions were part of a larger criminal scheme to influence the 2016 election.
During Friday’s hearing, Trump’s lawyer, Emil Bove, continued to question Pecker on various aspects of the case. Bove focused on a 2015 meeting where Pecker claimed there was a discussion about running negative articles on the Clintons and Trump’s Republican opponents. Pecker stated that these moves were driven by the tabloid’s business interests and denied any financial dimensions or the use of the term “catch-and-kill” during that meeting.
The defense also delved into the agreement between the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media Inc, and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Bove aimed to uncover the true objectives behind the $150,000 deal, which granted American Media exclusive rights to McDougal’s story about her alleged affair with Trump. Pecker testified that the provision for content creation was primarily a strategy to prevent McDougal’s story from becoming public and potentially affecting Trump’s presidential chances. However, on Friday, Pecker stated that McDougal was seeking to revive her career, and American Media presented itself as a platform to assist her. The company ultimately published over 65 stories under her name.
Rhona Graff, a longtime Trump aide, testified that she had seen Stormy Daniels at Trump Tower before Trump’s presidential campaign and heard Trump express interest in casting her on his reality TV show, The Apprentice. Graff also revealed that contact information for Daniels and McDougal was stored in the Trump Organization’s Outlook computer system.
The trial’s third witness, Gary Farro, a private client adviser at Flagstar Bank, testified about his banking relationship with Cohen. Farro stated that Cohen had multiple personal accounts at First Republic Bank, where Farro previously worked, and described their banking arrangement.
In other developments, Justice Juan Merchan, overseeing the New York case, announced plans to hold a hearing next Thursday to address allegations that Trump violated a gag order. Prosecutors have accused Trump of publicly criticizing witnesses and court officials, which is prohibited under the order. Violations could result in fines or imprisonment, although prosecutors are not currently seeking imprisonment.
