The former CEO of a tabloid company testified for three days in former President Donald Trump‘s hush money case in New York, telling jurors about his work to bury or promote stories about Trump ahead of the 2016 election.
David Pecker, who headed the National Enquirer’s parent company, American Media, Inc., was a key component of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s case against Trump.
Prosecutors told jurors at the outset of the trial that Pecker in 2016 was part of a three-man “catch-and-kill” scheme, along with Trump and Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen. The scheme, prosecutors said, involved Pecker paying sources through nondisclosure agreements not to go to other outlets with damaging stories about Trump. Pecker would then decline to publish the sources’ story, effectively suppressing negative information about Trump in an election year, the prosecutors said.
Prosecutor Michael Colangelo acknowledged during his opening statement this week that outlets have editorial say over what they choose or choose not to publish, but, he argued, Pecker’s activity was “highly unusual.” Defense attorneys have noted that nondisclosure disagreements, and even hush money payments, are not illegal.
Pecker testified that he did indeed seek to help Trump in 2016, but he spoke about how he also used his tabloid prowess to help other public figures as well.
Dancing with the Stars offer
Prosecutors sought to highlight two payments Pecker made on behalf of Trump to kill stories, including a $150,000 payment to former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
McDougal had confided to Pecker’s company that she had a recent sexual encounter with Trump while he was married and that she wanted to go public with it. Pecker said he reached an agreement with her right before the 2016 election involving him paying her for lifetime rights to her story.
Pecker revealed during his testimony that during the negotiations process, ABC was also attempting to persuade McDougal to come to its network with her story. Pecker said ABC offered her a spot on its popular reality show Dancing with the Stars as an incentive.
Pecker paid for a story about former Obama chief of staff
While prosecutors focused on Pecker’s assistance to Trump, defense attorneys highlighted during their cross-examination of Pecker that he also paid to suppress stories for others, suggesting that Pecker’s involvement with Trump was not unique.
Pecker testified that he paid $20,000 to quash a negative story about Rahm Emanuel, former President Barack Obama’s chief of staff, as Emanuel geared up for a Chicago mayoral run in 2010.
The story related to an alleged affair Emanuel had, and his brother Ari Emanuel, who had worked with Pecker to bury stories about other celebrities, came to Pecker for help with preventing the affair news from coming out, Pecker said.
“Did you help suppress that story?” defense attorney Emil Bove asked, per Politico.
“Yes,” Pecker replied.
Pecker had ‘catch-and-kill’ deal with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Pecker testified that in 2003, he reached a “catch-and-kill” agreement with actor Arnold Schwarzenegger while Pecker was seeking to acquire fitness magazines and while Schwarzenegger was preparing for a gubernatorial run in California. Schwarzenegger won his race and took office in November 2003.
Pecker testified that dozens of women would come to them during that year about their encounters with Schwarzenegger.
Pecker told defense attorneys he spent “hundreds of thousands of dollars” to suppress those stories, according to CNN.
Pecker considers Trump a friend
During prosecutors’ questioning, Pecker read a text to the court that he wrote in 2016 to the National Enquirer’s editor in chief in which he said Trump would be “furious” if Pecker did not agree to suppress an affair allegation made by porn star Stormy Daniels.
Cohen ultimately paid Daniels, and Pecker testified that he did not know any details about the payment. The texts signaled the relationship between Trump and Pecker had become tense at the time.
“I’m not going to pay for this story. I’m not going to be involved with a pornstar. … After paying out the doorman, after paying out McDougal, we’re not paying out any more money,” Pecker wrote, according to the Guardian.
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Nevertheless, Pecker testified that he viewed Trump as his “mentor” when asked if he had any ill will toward the former president.
“Even though we haven’t spoken, I still consider him a friend,” Pecker said.
