National Enquirer’s David Pecker Testifies in Trump Trial: 5 Takeaways

Former President Trump’s trial was dominated Tuesday by the testimony of former magazine executive David Pecker.

Pecker was previously editor of the National Enquirer tabloid. In this role, he engaged in the unusual practice of “catch and kill” – in essence, securing the publishing rights to a story in order to have it quashed.

Pecker testified he did it to help Trump.

His testimony was part of the first criminal trial of an American president.

Trump faces 34 criminal charges of falsifying business records. The underlying events concern a $130,000 payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in the final weeks of the 2016 presidential election campaign.

The purpose of the money was to prevent Daniels from publicly disclosing her claim that she had a sexual encounter with Trump about a decade earlier.

The payment to Daniels was made by then-Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen. Legal payments totaling $420,000 were later made from Trump’s business dealings to Cohen.

The prosecution’s case is that these were falsely presented as business expenses with the aim of concealing the fact that Daniels had been paid.

Trump, who denies having sex with Daniels or doing anything legally improper, claimed the payments were legitimate legal expenses and that he is being victimized.

Here are the key takeaways from Tuesday’s testimony.

Insider Information on How a Tabloid Helped Trump

Former President Trump walks with his lawyer Todd Blanche at Manhattan Criminal Court in New York on April 23, 2024. (Brendan McDermid, Associated Press, Pool)

The most impressive thing about Pecker’s testimony was the way he spoke directly about his efforts to use the power of his magazine to help Trump.

It fleshed out stories other than Daniels’, where the tabloid had engaged in catch-and-kill tactics.

Considerable time was spent on the story of Dino Sajudin, a former Trump Tower doorman who claimed that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock.

“I made the decision to buy the story because of the potential embarrassment it would pose to the campaign and to Mr. Trump,” Pecker testified.

Pecker and his team concluded that Sajudin’s story was false. According to reporters in the courtroom, mentions of this appeared to irritate Trump.

But the National Enquirer’s power wasn’t just about silencing stories that might be useful to Trump. He also published stories that hurt his rivals for the 2016 Republican nomination.

In Pecker’s account, Cohen would call him, suggesting that the tabloid was targeting candidates who appeared to pose the greatest threat to Trump.

One example was a story that falsely – and somewhat absurdly – suggested that Senator Ted Cruz’s (R-Texas) father was somehow linked to the assassination of President Kennedy.

Trump and the Enquirer – friends with benefits

FILE – In this Jan. 31, 2014 photo, David Pecker, president and CEO of American Media, addresses attendees of the Shape & Men’s Fitness Super Bowl Party in New York. (Marion Curtis via AP, Archive)

The relationship between Trump and the National Enquirer was not a one-way street, according to Pecker.

His close relationship with the then-candidate helped boost newsstand sales.

Trump, who has in the past called himself a “ratings machine” on television, appears to have had a similar impact on Enquirer sales.

A prosecutor on Tuesday showed screenshots of some of Trump’s headlines that emerged from that cozy relationship. The Associated Press noted that headlines included “Donald dominates!” and “World exclusive: the Donald Trump that no one knows”.

There were other cases in which the interests of the former president and the magazine’s former editor aligned.

Pecker testified that stories delving into the marriage of former President Clinton and 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton were also a big hit — as were headlines that labeled Bill Clinton a “womanizer.”

They also had the potential to harm Hillary Clinton as she ran against Trump.

“I ran Hillary as Bill Clinton’s enabler,” Pecker testified.

Prosecutors seek to make their case broader

LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 6: Elliot Mintz, Peggy McIntaggart and Karen McDougal are seen on September 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by gotpap/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

The doorman’s story is, in a sense, irrelevant to Trump’s guilt or innocence. The same can be said of another deal Pecker made with a former Playboy model, Karen McDougal, who also claimed to have had a sexual relationship with Trump.

The criminal charges Trump faces relate to the Stormy Daniels case, not any of the other two.

But the other details are important nonetheless.

Prosecutors hope to demonstrate that in each of these cases, Trump was motivated by fear that the stories could harm his electoral fortunes.

If jurors believe this, the prosecution will be much more likely to maintain criminal charges.

Falsifying business records is only a misdemeanor unless prosecutors can prove it was done in furtherance of another crime.

Trump is not accused of any other crimes in this case, but prosecutors want to paint his actions as an attempt to influence the election by hiding something from voters that they would otherwise know.

No decision yet on whether Trump violated a gag order

Judge Juan Merchan poses for a photo in his office, Thursday, March 14, 2024, in New York. A dozen Manhattan residents will soon become the first Americans to try a former president accused of a crime. Jury selection is set to begin Monday in the secret trial of former President Donald Trump. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tuesday wasn’t just about David Pecker.

The morning was largely devoted to discussions about whether Trump had violated the terms of a gag order in the case.

Judge Juan Merchan has not yet ruled on the issue.

The gag order Merchan issued last month prohibits Trump from attacking people involved in the case, including witnesses, court staff and members of the judge’s family — the latest stipulation is an apparent reaction to Trump’s attacks on Merchan’s daughter, Loren, for his work related to political consultancy. for Democrats.

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Prosecutors allege Trump violated the order 10 times. They are asking for a $1,000 fine for each violation. Trump’s team argues that he is responding to comments made about him, which he has the right to do.

In the legal confusion over the issue, Trump’s legal team acknowledged that other people sometimes post stories on Trump’s Truth Social account.

Trump has a say – sort of

The former president does not appear to be enjoying having to appear in court every day of his trial without having the chance to refute the charges himself, according to reporters.

On Tuesday, after the day’s proceedings concluded, he complained to the assembled media about the gag order. He said he was being prevented from “defending himself”.

“I would love to say anything that is on my mind, but I am restricted,” he added.