(NewsReady.com) – David Pecker was often referred to as Donald Trump’s “fixer” before he was president. The longtime CEO of American Media, Inc. (AMI) was the publisher of the tabloid, the National Enquirer. He’s the first witness in Trump’s New York criminal trial and he has made a series of stunning allegations while under oath.
Pecker has testified that he was part of an elaborate “catch and kill” scheme to buy damaging stories about Trump and then refuse to publish them, effectively burying them from the public. He told the jury that he paid former Playboy Bunny Karen McDougal off so that she would not damage Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
The former model has alleged she had an affair with the billionaire for about 10 months between 2006 and 2007. At the time, Trump was married to Melania Trump. Pecker paid her $150,000 for the rights to her story. The former president has repeatedly denied the affair.
On Thursday, April 25, The Associated Press reported Pecker told jurors that he had a conversation with Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen about porn star Stormy Daniels (real name Stephanie Clifford) allegedly having an affair with Trump. “I am not paying for this story,” he recounted.
According to Pecker, by the time the Daniels story came along, he’d already paid approximately $180,000 to kill stories related to Trump. He told the jury, “I didn’t want to be involved in this.”
Trump’s defense team began their cross-examination of Pecker and tried to poke holes in his story. They grilled him about statements he made in the past and suggested his memory has evolved over the years.
The defense also suggested the catch-and-kill scheme wasn’t about the campaign at all, despite Pecker’s testimony. They suggested it was actually intended to protect the former president, his family, and his reputation.
Experts expect the Manhattan trial to last several weeks. Trump has been charged with more than 30 felonies for reportedly falsifying business records to cover up the alleged affair with Daniels.
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