– Key “catch-and-kill” witness testified for third day in Trump’s NY hush-money trial
– Ex-National Enquirer publisher David Pecker described scrambling to bury Trump’s secrets
– Trump feared for voters, not family, when faced with sex scandals from porn star and Playboy Bunny, Pecker told jurors
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified for a third day in Trump’s New York hush-money trial, describing efforts to bury Trump’s secrets. Pecker mentioned the fear Trump had for his voters rather than his family during the 2016 election when a porn star and Playboy Bunny came forward with sex scandals. Despite Trump’s concern for these unsavory stories, Pecker testified that family was never mentioned in discussions about the stories. The Enquirer buried all three stories as part of an illegal conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, according to prosecutors. Pecker detailed the catch-and-kill arrangements with the Enquirer to hide these stories and the involvement of attorneys and Trump campaign officials in these transactions.
Pecker also disclosed his involvement in a similar catch-and-kill arrangement with Arnold Schwarzenegger during his run for governor in 2003. This testimony highlighted the complexities and secrecy involved in these arrangements to protect Trump’s image during the election. The testimony implicated Michael Cohen as an intermediary for Trump in the process of buying these stories and silencing the women involved. Despite having bulletproof contracts, Pecker received backlash from the Federal Election Commission concerning the hush-money payment to Karen McDougal in 2018. Cohen later pleaded guilty to making the payment, and Pecker signed a non-prosecution agreement with authorities due to his cooperation in the investigation.