Former National Enquirer Publisher Takes Stand in Trump Hush Money Trial

In a pivotal moment of former President Donald Trump‘s criminal hush money trial, David Pecker, the ex-president and CEO of American Media Inc., the parent company of the National Enquirer, has emerged as the prosecution’s key witness.

Pecker, a longtime ally of Trump and implicated in various «catch-and-kill» schemes, took the stand on Monday to shed light on the tactics used to suppress detrimental stories about Trump during his 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump faces charges of falsifying business records related to a $130,000 payment to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels, orchestrated to silence her claims of an intimate encounter with Trump years before the election.

Assistant District Attorney Matthew Colangelo underscored Pecker’s collaboration with Trump, highlighting their alleged agreement to smother negative publicity and support Trump’s campaign.

One significant episode involves Karen McDougal, a Playmate, whom Pecker and Dylan Howard paid $150,000 to own the rights to her assertion of a relationship with Trump, which she was contractually bound not to disclose.

Pecker’s testimony, integral in illustrating the concealment of vital information from the public, is expected to characterize a pattern of deliberate cover-ups orchestrated to influence the 2016 election.

Prosecutors aim to employ Pecker’s accounts to substantiate a systematic effort to shield damaging revelations, possibly shaping a coordinated plan by Trump and Cohen to safeguard their interests before the election.