The hush money trial involving former American Media Inc. chairman David Pecker and former President Donald Trump continued with Pecker detailing how he paid for Karen McDougal’s story to keep her quiet about an alleged affair with Trump. Pecker also explained how his decision not to pay for Stormy Daniels’ story led to Michael Cohen ultimately paying for it. Prosecutors wrapped up their direct testimony with Pecker, laying the foundation for the case against Trump focusing on the payment to Daniels.
Trump, who has denied affairs with both McDougal and Daniels, did not want to be in the courtroom for the trial but was denied his request to be in Washington for Supreme Court arguments. Instead, he attended a campaign stop and criticized the case when leaving the courtroom. Prosecutors presented more examples of violations of the gag order laid out by the judge, but a ruling was not issued on Thursday. Trump’s attorneys began their cross-examination of Pecker and will continue on Friday.
Pecker’s testimony included details about how AMI paid McDougal on Trump’s behalf, conversations with Trump about the catch-and-kill deal, and the fallout when McDougal’s story became public. Pecker described putting up money for the catch-and-kill scheme to suppress McDougal’s story, while his refusal to pay for Daniels’ story led to Cohen personally paying $130,000. Pecker also testified that he alerted Trump and Cohen about Daniels shopping her story and refused Cohen’s efforts to buy it.
After Trump was elected, Pecker said Trump asked how McDougal was doing at least twice, including at a dinner at the White House in 2017. Trump called Pecker when the Wall Street Journal published a story about the AMI agreement just days before the 2016 election, expressing frustration and asking how it happened. Pecker also received a call from Trump after McDougal was interviewed by CNN’s Anderson Cooper in 2018, where Trump expressed anger at Pecker amending McDougal’s agreement on speaking to other media.
Overall, Pecker’s testimony shed light on the inner workings of the hush money deals involving McDougal and Daniels, the involvement of Trump and Cohen, and the aftermath when the stories became public. Trump’s reactions to the news of the agreements and subsequent events were detailed in Pecker’s testimony, painting a picture of a tumultuous situation surrounding the allegations of affairs. The trial continues with Trump’s attorneys cross-examining Pecker and further exploring the details of the case.
