Prosecutors allege Donald Trump engaged in “voter fraud”
A colorful former tabloid editor took the stand Tuesday in Donald Trump’s “silence the money” trial and described how he suppressed negative stories about the real estate mogul, a practice known as “catch and kill.”
Trump, 77, the first former US president to face criminal charges, is accused of falsifying business records to buy porn star Stormy Daniels’ silence during a 2006 sexual encounter that could have harmed his 2016 presidential bid.
Prosecutors allege that Trump engaged in “voter fraud” by having his then-personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, make a $130,000 payment to the adult film actress on the eve of the 2016 election, in which he defeated Hillary Clinton.
David Pecker, 72, a former National Enquirer editor, was the first witness called to testify by prosecutors in Trump’s high-stakes trial, which comes less than seven months before his expected rematch against President Joe Biden.
Prosecutors seek Pecker’s testimony to demonstrate that the “catch and kill” scheme to suppress negative stories was commonly used by Trump and Cohen, the once-loyal “fixer” who has since turned on his former boss.
Pecker took the stand after a nearly 90-minute hearing during which Judge Juan Merchan was asked by prosecutors to find Trump in contempt of court for violating a partial gag order barring him from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors or court staff.
Merchan heard arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys but did not issue an immediate ruling.
Pecker said he has known Trump since 1989 and described him as a friend — “I would call him Donald.”
He said National Enquirer readers “loved” Trump, who starred in the hit reality show “The Apprentice” before entering politics in 2015.
– ‘Help the campaign’ –
Pecker said he agreed in an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower with Trump, Cohen and Trump’s personal assistant, Hope Hicks, to help his friend’s nascent campaign for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
“I said what I would do is publish or publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and publish negative stories about his opponents.”
Pecker said he would also alert Cohen to potential negative stories about Trump.
“When I would notify Michael Cohen of a negative story, he would try to look into it himself, to see if the story was true or not,” Pecker said. “And he would go to the individual publication to make sure the story didn’t get published and kill it.”
Prosecutors briefed Pecker on two payments made to suppress negative stories. One involved a Trump Tower doorman who peddled the false claim that Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock.
The other involved a former Playboy magazine model, Karen McDougal, who said she had an affair with the married Trump. She was paid $150,000 to keep the story from going public.
Pecker is expected to return to the witness stand when the trial resumes on Thursday.
– Trump hits the judge –
Before Pecker testified, prosecutors — in a hearing held without a jury present — accused Trump of blatantly violating the judge’s gag order.
Trump’s “intentional” attacks on witnesses “clearly violate” the gag order, prosecutor Chris Conroy said, urging the judge to fine him $1,000 per violation.
“We are not yet seeking a sentence of incarceration,” Conroy said, but the court should “remind him that incarceration is an option if necessary.”
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, and Cohen are expected to appear as prosecution witnesses at the trial.
Trump has repeatedly attacked them on Truth Social, calling them, for example, “scumbags who, with their lies and misrepresentations, have cost our country dearly.”
Trump lashed out at the judge after the day’s proceedings, calling the gag order “unconstitutional.”
“I’m not allowed to talk, but people can talk about me,” he said. “They can lie, but I’m not allowed to say anything.”
He complained that Biden “is campaigning and I’m here in court.”
“It’s a very unfair situation.”
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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