The former publisher of the National Enquirer testified in front of the grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump for the second time in New York on Monday, according to a news report.
David Pecker, who also testified in front of the grand jury in January, played an important role in Trump’s alleged hush-money scandal with porn star Stormy Daniels.
FORMER U.S. ATTORNEY SAYS TRUMP PROBE NOT UNPRECEDENTED
Pecker and the paper’s editor allegedly helped facilitate the payment between Daniels and Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen.
The grand jury has heard from at least nine witnesses so far, and it could vote on an indictment as early as this week. The jury is expected to reconvene on Wednesday.
Trump predicted he would be indicted last week, and if he is indicted, he would be the first former president to be charged with a crime. In order for the jury to vote, at least 16 of the panel’s 23 members must be present.
The case is being overseen by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who recently signaled that the indictment could come soon by offering Trump a chance to testify in front of the grand jury before the indictment is approved. Trump rejected the offer, according to the New York Times.
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The prosecution is focused on a $130,000 payment the former president made to Cohen in 2016. The payment ended up flowing to Daniels, who had accused Trump of having an affair with her. The criminal charges Trump could face would stem from how he accounted for the payment in business records, including whether he falsified the records and whether the payment constituted a violation of campaign finance laws.
Trump’s team has denied all accusations, and his aides and allies have noted that Cohen, a top witness for Bragg, has a history of airing personal grievances about the former president.
