{"id":2228352,"date":"2024-04-23T16:49:02","date_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:49:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-witness-david-pecker-recounts-frantic-efforts-to-kill-embarrassing-stories\/"},"modified":"2024-04-23T16:51:57","modified_gmt":"2024-04-23T20:51:57","slug":"trump-trial-witness-david-pecker-recounts-frantic-efforts-to-kill-embarrassing-stories","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-trial-witness-david-pecker-recounts-frantic-efforts-to-kill-embarrassing-stories\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump Trial: Witness David Pecker Describes Rushed Attempts to Suppress &#8216;Embarrassing&#8217; Stories"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftrump-trial-witness-david-pecker-recounts-frantic-efforts-to-kill-embarrassing-stories%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2228352&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>David Pecker, a key witness in the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/donald-trumps-criminal-hush-money-trial-set-for-march-25\/\" title=\"Trump's hush money trial scheduled for March 25\">hush money trial<\/a> against Donald \u200bTrump,\u200b testified about Michael Cohen&#8217;s\u200b efforts to suppress damaging stories before the 2016 election. Pecker, the former\u2063 National Enquirer publisher, revealed details of a meeting with Trump and Cohen in 2015, outlining a scheme to benefit Trump&#8217;s campaign. His\u200d testimony unveiled the &#8220;catch-and-kill&#8221; strategy, shedding light on the case&#8217;s core allegations.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p id=\"gmail-block-9440c4f2-95d2-4ea7-8c49-e0e2f1d16f4c\"><strong>NEW YORK \u2014 <\/strong>A crucial witness in the hush money trial against <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/author\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a> testified on Tuesday during questioning by prosecutors about the frantic efforts Michael Cohen allegedly made to shut down stories that would be \u201cembarrassing\u201d to Trump\u2019s 2016 presidential campaign.<\/p>\n<p>The witness, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2973520\/who-is-david-pecker-media-mogul-reported-to-be-first-testimony-in-trump-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">David Pecker<\/a>, was a longtime publisher of the <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/national-enquirer\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Enquirer<\/a><\/em>, and on the witness stand Tuesday he described a 2015 meeting with Trump and Trump\u2019s then-attorney Cohen. Prosecutors with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg\u2019s office described it as the \u201cTrump Tower conspiracy.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>Witness David Pecker, far right, talks on the witness stand while Donald Trump, far left, looks on as assistant district attorney Joshua Steingless asks questions with Judge Juan Merchan presiding in Manhattan criminal court Monday, April 22, 2024, in New York. (Elizabeth Williams via AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That meeting is where prosecutors say the trio laid the groundwork for a scheme to benefit Trump\u2019s eventual 2016 campaign. The prosecutors said that alleged scheme became even more crucial after several sex scandals threatened to emerge the following year and eventually led Cohen to pay $130,000 in hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels, which is at the heart of the case.<\/p>\n<p>Pecker testified for nearly two hours, alleging that Cohen, at the direction of Trump, planted negative coverage about the then-candidate\u2019s political rivals and positive stories that promoted Trump. At one point, Pecker was asked by Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass why he paid $30,000 to quash a fake story about a child Trump allegedly had with a woman out of wedlock.<\/p>\n<p>If the article \u201cgot out to another publication or another media outlet,\u201d Pecker said, \u201cit would have been very embarrassing to the campaign.\u201d His testimony helped the prosecution lay out what they call the \u201ccatch-and-kill\u201d scheme of the indictment.<\/p>\n<p>At one point, prosecutors asked Pecker if he knew Karen McDougal, another woman who sought to come forward during the 2016 election with allegations about an affair with Trump years earlier.<\/p>\n<p>Pecker testified that Dylan Howard, an entertainment reporter for the <em>National Enquirer<\/em>, interviewed McDougal and that she told the reporter she had many offers from other media outlets for her story.<\/p>\n<p>After Pecker informed Trump about Howard\u2019s interview with McDougal, he told the then-presidential candidate it would be in his best interest to buy her story in an effort to suppress it from publication. Pecker claimed that Trump was worried about the story getting out regardless, claiming Trump said: \u201cAnytime you do anything like this it always gets out.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure><figcaption>FILE \u2013 David Pecker, Chairman and CEO of American Media, addresses those attending the Shape &#038; Men\u2019s Fitness Super Bowl Party in New York, on Jan. 31, 2014. (Marion Curtis via AP, File)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Although buying and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/if-big-tech-isnt-regulated-before-2024-the-election-will-be-rigged-again\/\" title=\"If Big Tech Isn\u2019t Regulated Before 2024, The Election Will Be Rigged Again\">suppressing negative stories<\/a> is not illegal,\u00a0Pecker\u2019s testimony is important to Bragg\u2019s efforts to prove Trump is guilty of felony counts of falsifying business records, rather than misdemeanor counts, because prosecutors say Trump intended to commit or conceal another crime. Prosecutors say the \u201cprimary\u201d crime it is seeking to use to prove a conspiracy is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nysenate.gov\/legislation\/laws\/ELN\/17-152\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Section 17-152<\/a> under New York law, which is conspiracy to promote or prevent an election.\u00a0However, Bragg did not charge Trump with any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/nc-dem-senate-hopeful-backs-bill-enfranchising-violent-felons\/\" title=\"NC Dem Senate Hopeful Backs Bill Enfranchising Violent Felons\">election-related offenses<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The prosecution ended their questioning of Pecker for the day at 2 p.m., though his testimony will resume on Thursday. Trump\u2019s attorneys have not yet had the opportunity to cross-examine Pecker, meaning that the jury has not yet heard the defense\u2019s side of the argument.<\/p>\n<p>Pecker, unlike Cohen, does not have a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/senate-judiciary-chairman-says-gun-control-is-top-priority\/\" title=\"Senate Judiciary Chairman Says Gun Control Is \u2018Top Priority\u2019\">criminal background<\/a> and has not been scrutinized in court for perjury. However, the tabloid publisher admitted at one point during his testimony to having made up stories, such as one about Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) that had claimed to show the senator\u2019s father in a photo with John F. Kennedy killer Lee Harvey Oswald. But prosecutors argued those past fabrications fuel their claims that Pecker directed negative stories at Trump\u2019s Republican opponents for the 2016 presidential nomination.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier in the day, Merchan held a gag order contempt hearing during which he admonished Trump\u2019s attorney for not being able to cite case law that proved Trump did not violate his gag order by reposting other people\u2019s posts that were critical of certain witnesses in the case. Some of Trump\u2019s scrutinized posts were reposts of news articles or quotes from anchors, such as Fox News\u2019s Jesse Watters.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/2975445\/judge-declines-to-rule-immediately-on-whether-trump-reposts-violated-gag-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Merchan has yet to rule\">Merchan has yet to rule<\/a> on the prosecution\u2019s efforts to fine Trump for 10 alleged violations of his gag order. They seek to fine Trump $1,000 for each alleged violation and said Tuesday that Trump had violated it again one day earlier during his public statements in the hallways of floor 15 of the New York County Criminal Courthouse.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d love to talk to you people, I\u2019d love to say everything that\u2019s on my mind, but I\u2019m restricted because I have a gag order,\u201d Trump said. \u201cI\u2019m not sure that anybody\u2019s ever seen anything like it before.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In the hush money trial against Donald Trump, witness David Pecker testified about the urgent actions Michael Cohen took to suppress damaging stories. Pecker, the former National Enquirer publisher, revealed details during questioning by prosecutors in New York<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2633,"featured_media":2228353,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24113635688821-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2228352","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/wex-s3.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24113635688821-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228352","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2633"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2228352"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2228352\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2228353"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2228352"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2228352"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2228352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}