Publisher feared alleged affair would hurt Trump campaign

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified at Donald Trump’s criminal trial that he sought to silence a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr Trump for fear it would hurt his 2016 presidential bid.

“I believed the story was true, I believed it would be very embarrassing for himself and also his campaign,” Mr Pecker testified at Mr Trump’s New York hush money trial.

Mr Pecker, 72, is a key witness in the case against the former US president, who is accused of falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 (€121,000) payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about an affair she said she had with Mr Trump in 2006.

Mr Pecker, who has not been charged with a crime, testified on Tuesday that the National Enquirer acquired former Playboy model Karen McDougal’s story of Mr Trump’s alleged sexual misbehaviour but never published it – a practice known as “catch and kill” – in order to help Mr Trump’s 2016 presidential bid.

He said today that after Ms McDougal told his editor that she had a yearlong affair with Trump in 2006 and 2007, he advised Mr Trump to buy her silence.

“He said, ‘What do you think I should do?’ I said, ‘I think you should buy the story and take it off the market,'” Mr Pecker testified.

He said Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s personal lawyer, promised Mr Trump would pay for her story.

“He said to me, ‘Don’t worry, I’m your friend. The boss will take care of it,'” Mr Pecker said, adding that “the boss” referred to Mr Trump.

In the end, the National Enquirer ended up footing the bill, rather than Mr Trump. The paper’s parent company, American Media, admitted in 2018 that it paid her $150,000 (€140,000). Her story was never published.

Ms McDougal is expected to testify later in the trial, along with Mr Trump’s former lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen, who says he arranged MS Daniels’ payment and was reimbursed by Mr Trump.

Mr Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts and denied having an affair with Ms Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

He has also denied having an affair with Ms McDougal.

Hush money payments themselves are not illegal, and Mr Trump’s lawyers have argued the Stormy Daniels payout was personal and unrelated to his campaign.

Prosecutors said that the payment was a campaign expense that should have been disclosed and that Mr Trump’s arrangement with the National Enquirer deceived voters by suppressing stories of alleged extramarital affairs at a time when he faced accusations of sexual misbehaviour.

The criminal trial is the first of a former US president and carries political risks for Mr Trump as he prepares for a November election rematch with President Joe Biden and fends off three other criminal indictments, to which he has also pleaded not guilty.

Yesterday, he was named as an unindicted co-conspirator in an Arizona criminal case that charges 18 people with attempting to overturn his defeat in that state in the 2020 election.

Also today, the US Supreme Court heard Mr Trump’s arguments that he is immune from prosecution for actions taken as president, an appeal that has held up his prosecution on charges related to his attempts to reverse his 2020 election defeat.

Trump is required to be present for the New York trial and Justice Juan Merchan denied his request to attend the Supreme Court arguments.

“We have a big case today, the judge isn’t allowing me to go,” Mr Trump said while visiting a construction site this morning.

Mr Trump has complained that the trial, which is expected to last through May, is preventing him from campaigning though he uses his courthouse appearances as mini-stump speeches.

Judge Merchan has imposed a limited gag order on Mr Trump that bars him from publicly attacking witnesses, jurors and other people close to the case, including court staff and their families.

Prosecutors have asked Judge Merchan to hold Mr Trump in contempt of court for violating that order, mentioning four recent statements that criticised Mr Cohen, the judge and the jury.

Prosecutors have also asked the judge to fine Trump $1,000 (€934) apiece for 10 social media posts they said violated the order.

Judge Merchan did not rule on their request.

Mr Trump has said the gag order violates his right to free speech and that he is being treated unfairly by the judge.