Trump’s history-making hush-money trial begins ...

5 min ago
Trump is hunched forward and reading a piece of paper


Trump is hunched forward leaning into attorney Todd Blanche's personal space to read a piece of paper during Pecker's testimony. He's now leaning back in his chair



1 min ago
Pecker says he meant it when he told Michael Cohen that "catch and kill" deal was legally sound
Defense attorney Emil Bove is revisiting previous testimony from David Pecker about consulting a campaign attorney and his company's general counsel about the tabloid's agreement with Karen McDougal, the former Playboy model who alleged she had an affair with Donald Trump.

Bove asks Pecker if when he told then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen the agreement was "bulletproof," he was conveying "there were no legal ramifications." "That’s correct," Pecker says.

The Trump attorney then asks Pecker several follow-up questions confirming the then-tabloid boss meant what he said to Cohen, because he had received legal advice about the agreement, to which Pecker agreed.

Pecker says he didn't withhold any information from the attorneys when they reviewed the agreement.

The prior testimony in question: Bove and Pecker are talking about testimony from 2016, when the former National Enquirer publisher described consulting an election law attorney and the in-house counsel at American Media Inc., his parent company, about the "catch and kill" contract the tabloid reached with McDougal to bury her story about Trump.

10 min ago
Analysis: Why the Michael Cohen and Mark Cuban photo matters
Michael Cohen's attempt to get photographed with business mogul Mark Cuban shows how Trump allies tried to "make themselves look bigger and better" to gain favor with the former president, CNN's Kaitlan Collins said.

Cohen wanted a job in the administration, and though he didn't get one, Collins would see him at the White House.

"We always see the jockeying in Trump's orbit of people trying to elevate themselves in his eyes for whatever their purpose was," Collins said.


https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

Bove is letting his idiot client drive the narrative too much. Just an impression.

 

min ago
Bove says he has less than an hour left


Bove says he has less than an hour left in his cross-examination of Pecker.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said there will be redirect.



2 min ago
The court is in a short break
The court is taking a short break and the jury is leaving the courtroom.

Pecker is off the stand. The lawyers are still in courtroom.

Trump has also left the room.



6 min ago
Bove is now going through Pecker's 2018 FBI interview
Bove now raises Pecker's 2018 FBI interview, asking if he recalled saying that "Trump did not express any gratitude to Pecker and AMI" during the January 6, 2017, meeting.

Pecker is now looking at his prior testimony.

Bove is working to get Pecker up to speed with the interview notes in front of him.

Meanwhile, attorney Todd Blanche and Trump are leaning in to whisper with each other at the defense table. Blanche covers his mouth as he speaks.

Pecker pushes back on Bove and the interview notes, suggesting the notes could be wrong, "I know what I testified to yesterday and I know what I remember."

"Are you suggesting the FBI made a mistake here?" Bove asks Pecker.
"I know what the truth is, I can't state why this is written this way. I know what was said to me," Pecker testifies.
Pecker confirms that what he's testified to at trial about this is inconsistent with the FBI interview notes.

10 min ago
Pecker stands by previous testimony that Trump thanked him for handling potentially damaging stories
Defense attorney Emil Bove is asking about Pecker's testimony that Trump thanked him for handling the situation surrounding potentially damaging stories from former Playboy model Karen McDougal and a Trump tower doorman.

Bove asks Pecker of the testimony, "Was that a mistake?"

"No," Pecker says, furrowing his brow.

"You believe that President Trump said that to you, as you sit here right now?"

Pecker said, “Yes I do."

Specifically, Bove asks Pecker about his testimony yesterday, when the ex-tabloid boss said Trump thanked him for the door man story.

"Was that another mistake?" Bove challenges Pecker
Pecker responds, "No."

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

8m ago / 11:15 AM EDT
Court takes a brief break

Lisa Rubin

The court is taking a brief break after Trump's lawyer Bove said he had a few more questions left for cross-examination.

That’s a smart move because if Bove is, indeed, nearing the end, taking a break allows him to have a quick confab with the other defense lawyers to see if he’s left anything out, failed to follow up on anything, etc.

11m ago / 11:13 AM EDT
Prosecutors object to questions about Comey


Alexandra Marquez and Adam Reiss
As Bove was questioning Pecker, he broached the subject of Trump's relationship with former FBI Director James Comey, asking, "You know following that [January 2017] meeting there were issues between President Trump and James Comey?"

Immediately, prosecutors objected and Merchan called a sidebar. Meanwhile, Trump whispered with Necheles at the defense table.

Merchan sustained the objection.

Bove and Pecker barely had a chance to resume before another objection and sidebar were called.

17m ago / 11:07 AM EDT
Pecker says he wanted nothing to do with Enquirer story about Stormy Daniels
+2
Garrett Grumbach, Jillian Frankel and Daniel Arkin
Pecker, under cross-examination from Bove, testified that he wanted no part in the Enquirer's story about Daniels, the porn star who claims she had an affair with Trump.

Bove asked Pecker to confirm whether he told then-Enquirer editor-in-chief Dylan Howard that he wanted no involvement in the story about Daniels; Pecker replied, "That's correct."

Bove asked Pecker: "You did not consider Stormy Daniels' story to be a part of any agreement that you had in August of 2015, is that correct?" Pecker testified that it was correct.

37m ago / 10:46 AM EDT
Trump lawyer tries to establish that AMI got something of value from McDougal agreement


Gary Grumbach and Rebecca Shabad
Bove is trying to show that AMI got something of value from the McDougal agreement pointing to a number of columns and magazine covers.

Pecker confirmed that he told McDougal that the promotional opportunities she had there were worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and ran 65 stories.

"When AMI signed this agreement, the one that’s on this screen, you believed it had a legitimate business purpose, correct?” Bove asked.

"I did," Pecker said.

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/do...-money-case-live-updates-rcna149466#rcrd40206

 

IIRC"
This is not allowed in as evidence.
Unfair prejudice.
National Enquirer editor.

"At least if he wins, I’ll be pardoned for electoral fraud,” Howard said in an offhand remark in one of the texts."

https://thehill.com/regulation/cour...r-editor-pardoned-trump-2016-electoral-fraud/

 

1m ago / 11:35 AM EDT
Trial has resumed

Adam Reiss

The judge is back on the bench and the jury is being brought in.

 

5 min ago
Here's a timeline of key events in the hush money case

From CNN’s Lauren del Valle, Kara Scannell, Annette Choi and Gillian Roberts

Prosecutors and the defense have been zeroing in on key moments related to the hush money case.

CNN compiled a timeline of the events leading up to the historic trial. Read up on the moments below:

• September 2016: Donald Trump discusses a $150,000 hush money payment understood to be for former Playboy model Karen McDougal with Michael Cohen who secretly records the conversation. McDougal has alleged she had an extramarital affair with Trump beginning in 2006, which he has denied.
• October 7, 2016: The Washington Post releases an "Access Hollywood" video from 2005 in which Trump uses vulgar language to describe his sexual approach to women with show host Billy Bush.
• October 27, 2016: According to prosecutors, Cohen pays Stormy Daniels $130,000 through her attorney via a shell company in exchange for her silence about an affair she allegedly had with Trump in 2006. This $130,000 sum is separate from the $150,000 paid to McDougal. Trump has publicly denied having any affairs and has denied making the payments.
• November 8, 2016: Trump secures the election to become the 45th President of the United States.
• February 2017: Prosecutors say Cohen meets with Trump in the Oval Office to confirm how he would be reimbursed for the hush money payment Cohen fronted to Daniels. Under the plan, Cohen would send a series of false invoices requesting payment for legal services he performed pursuant to a retainer agreement and receive monthly checks for $35,000 for a total of $420,000 to cover the payment, his taxes and a bonus, prosecutors alleged. Prosecutors also allege there was never a retainer agreement.
• January 2018: The Wall Street Journal breaks news about the hush money payment Cohen made to Daniels in 2016.

See the full timeline.


https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

3 min ago
Pecker confirms AMI entered into a non-prosecution agreement with prosecutors


Bove again confirms with Pecker that American Media Inc. entered into a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors.

Bove asks Pecker whether the meetings with FBI agents were stressful.

"You wanted it over with though, right?" he asks.

"Uh, yes," Pecker says.

3 min ago
Pecker recounts FBI agents coming to his house in 2018
Bove is asking Pecker about the time FBI agents came to his home in 2018.

Three agents arrived around 8 a.m. and took Pecker's phone with a search warrant, but did not search his house, the former tabloid boss testifies.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

1 min ago
Pecker says meetings with FBI agents were stressful


Bove again confirms with Pecker that American Media Inc. entered into a non-prosecution agreement with federal prosecutors.

Bove asks Pecker whether the meetings with FBI agents were stressful.

"You wanted it over with though, right?" he asks.

"Uh, yes," Pecker says.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

4 min ago
The jury has been following the back-and-forth between Trump attorney and Pecker


The jury has been paying attention as Bove continues to cross-examine Pecker.

Their eyes have followed the back-and-forth between of them.

Remember: The jury is comprised of 12 jurors and six alternate jurors. Read about them here.

5 min ago
Trump attorney asks Pecker about 2015 meeting at Trump Tower
Bove is focusing on a portion of the statement of facts in a non-prosecution agreement Pecker reached with federal investigators in 2018.

It relates to an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower.

Bove is asking Pecker about his statements about that meeting during his October 2019 interview with the district attorney's office.



3 min ago
Here's what the defense has focused on so far in its cross-examination of David Pecker
From CNN's Kara Scannell, Lauren del Valle, Jeremy Herb

Donald Trump's attorneys cross-examined David Pecker on Friday morning, poking holes at the veracity of his comments and pointing out a discrepancy between Pecker's 2018 FBI testimony and his testimony in court this week.

Most of the questions centered around American Media Inc.'s business interests, beginning on the topic of running negative articles about Trump's foes, including the Clintons and Ben Carson. The defense was trying to establish that Pecker’s actions were made in line with the company's bottom line in mind.

Here are some of the key points from the cross examination of Pecker:

• Pecker acknowledged that negative press for Trump's foes was generally good for business. Defense attorney Emil Bove elicited from Pecker that he would have run negative information about Carson even without a conversation from Trump, and that source agreements like the ones used for Karen McDougal and doorman Dino Sajudin were made all the time outside of the Trump sphere.
• Pecker said that if the false doorman allegations were true, he would have run it. The defense tried to establish it was good for business for Pecker to get the rights to the story first. Pecker also testified that there was a legitimate business purpose to the agreement between AMI and McDougal.
• Bove elicited from Pecker that “catch and kill” was not discussed at the August 2015 meeting. The meeting has become central to this case and during it, Pecker agreed to be the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s campaign and flag any negative stories to Cohen.
• Defense pointed out discrepancy between Pecker's testimony this week and 2018 FBI interview. Pecker testified this week that Trump thanked him for handling McDougal and Sajudin’s stories during a January 2017 meeting at Trump Tower. But the defense pointed out that "Trump did not express any gratitude to Pecker and AMI" during his 2018 FBI interview. Pecker confirmed the FBI notes were inconsistent with his testimony. Bove also pointed out an error in Pecker’s testimony where he mistook the year he saw a third party agreement relating to the McDougal deal.
• Defense elicited from Pecker that he wanted nothing to do with the Stormy Daniels allegations. Pecker testified his "main concern" about her not having been paid was the harm it could do to National Enquirer editor Dylan Howard's reputation.
• Defense made sure to spell out for the jurors that the McDougal deal was reviewed by an election law attorney. The defense made clear that Pecker believed there would be no legal ramifications.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

2 min ago
Analysis: Defense tries to poke holes in David Pecker's truthfulness


The defense is trying to poke holes in David Pecker's truthfulness and, combined with a non-prosecution agreement Pecker reached with federal investigators in 2018, undermine his motivations, CNN senior legal analyst Elie Honig said.

When law enforcement approached Pecker, he was about to sell his company, and thus he "had to tell them whatever they wanted to hear you had to do whatever they wanted," Honig said.

And Pecker then got to walk away without getting criminally prosecuted.

"As a result, you're still indebted to them," Honig said. "You still have an incentive, a motive to tell them what they want to hear to shape your story."
2 min ago
Bove asks Pecker if Cohen is prone to exaggeration
Bove is now turning to a letter from the Federal Election Commission and Michael Cohen's response that they didn't need to worry about it because Trump had former Attorney General Jeff Sessions in his pocket.

"Based on your experience Michael Cohen was prone to exaggeration?" Pecker agreed.

Bove continued: "Could not trust anything he said?" Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass objected to the question and Judge Juan Merchan sustained it.

5 min ago
Trump's attorney is highlighting minor inconsistencies in Pecker's past statements
Bove is focusing on a portion of the statement of facts in a non-prosecution agreement Pecker reached with federal investigators in 2018.

It relates to an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower.

Bove is asking Pecker about his statements about that meeting during his October 2019 interview with the district attorney's office.

He asks Pecker whether he recalls that his lawyer said at the 2019 meeting that a section of the statement of facts, paragraph three, was "wrong and inaccurate." Pecker says he does not recall this.

Trump is leaning forward and staring at the screen as Pecker reviews the record from the October 2019 meeting.

"I think that may be inaccurate. I think that came up with the feds. I have never heard Pecker say that," is captured in notes from the meeting, which Bove read aloud.

Pecker says there was a dispute over a single word: "Selling and purchasing is the same thing. Someone has to buy them."

Key context: The defense is working to poke holes in Pecker's claims and raise doubt about his recollection of events regarding the National Enquirer's relationship with Trump, as he is serving as a key witness for the prosecution.

Bove has spent much of the cross-examination trying to dismantle Pecker's credibility, highlighting small inconsistencies in Pecker's statements to prosecutors over the years in comparison to his trial testimony.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

Where is the right wing analysis of the testimony?

 

4 min ago
Prosecutor is revisiting Bove's line of questioning in redirect


Steinglass is starting his redirect by revisiting Bove's questions to Pecker. Here are some of the things that are coming up right now:

• Steinglass is bringing up the third-party invoice prepared by the American Media Inc. consultant for Trump to repay AMI for the Karen McDougal story through Revolution Consultants. Bove had questioned whether Pecker had seen the invoice in 2016, or not until 2017.
• Steinglass has Pecker confirm that the document was kept in AMI's records in 2016.
• Steinglass is asking about the campaign lawyer that was consulted. Pecker says he never spoke directly with the lawyer.
• Steinglass asked if Pecker told AMI general counsel about the arrangement struck with Donald Trump in August 2015. "No, I never did," Pecker testified. He says the outside counsel was asked to review the Karen McDougal contract.

More on this: Steinglass is seeking to infer to the jury that the election law attorney reviewed the McDougal agreement without the underlying context of Pecker's secret agreement to benefit Trump's campaign.

6 min ago
Cross-examination has concluded and prosecution is back up
The Trump attorney's cross-examination of Pecker has now ended.

"I’ve been truthful to the best of my recollection," Pecker says to Bove.

In closing cross-examination, Bove confirms that ultimately the district attorney's office will determine whether Pecker's held up his end of the immunity agreement.

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass is now back up for a redirect.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

1 min ago
Pecker says promise of articles and covers for Playboy model was a "disguise" for their true arrangement


The prosecution is having Pecker re-confirm that the purpose of the National Enquirer's contract with former Playboy model Karen McDougal was to suppress her potentially damaging story about Donald Trump and help influence the 2016 election.

Additional items about writing articles and appearing on covers were extraneous, Pecker confirmed, in response to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass, who is bringing things back to his team's central argument about the agreement.

The provisions about McDougal getting to write articles and appear on covers of the tabloid were "included in the contract as a disguise," Pecker says.
Pecker testifies he never told his company's general counsel that the true purpose of the deal was to influence the election. He also never told the attorney that he planned to transfer the rights to Michael Cohen, who pledged to reimburse him.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

Izzy "The Izz" (aka "The Izzster") PFs Unsung Hero (and MVP) of Trump Trial coverage...
Keep it up, Izzy...
Your contributions have not gone unnoticed...

 

2 min ago
Pecker testifies that McDougal contract did not mention "the word campaign"


As he reviewed records on the stand, Pecker said the retained election law attorney billed American Media Inc. for 30 minutes of work to review the contract with Karen McDougal.

Steinglass went through the contract, asking if it mentions anything about Trump reimbursing him, Michael Cohen's name, the discussion at Trump Tower, or the word campaign.

Pecker repeatedly said "no."

"Does the contract even mention the word campaign?" Steinglass asked.

"No," Pecker said.

Steinglass noted that the contract that the outside counsel reviewed had none of these details.

Every juror is watching Steinglass as he's asking the question.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

2 min ago
Pecker confirms he told Cohen to rip up the McDougal agreement after speaking with attorneys


Steinglass is revisiting the Karen McDougal agreement and that Pecker only agreed to enter into it because Michael Cohen promised to reimburse him.

They had drawn up a transfer agreement and "you went so far as to sign the document?" Steinglass asks. "Yes," Pecker replies.

But Pecker says after speaking with the general counsel, "I called up Michael Cohen and told him that the deal was off and to rip up the agreement."


https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

These trials have become campaign events for Trump and the RP.
The judges and prosecutors should send the RNC a bill -- if they haven't already paid them for staging all these campaign stops.

“Jon Stewart is calling out U.S. media outlets for their excessive coverage of former president Donald Trump's ongoing hush money trial.
During his opening monologue on Monday, the Daily Show host described the legal battle as both “a test of the fairness of the American legal system” as well as “a test of the media’s ability to cover Donald Trump in a responsible way.” However, he noted that’s a task that media “have acknowledged that they’ve performed poorly in the past.”
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, Jon Stewart skewers media over Trump trial coverage: 'What the f--- are we doing?' "It’s the first day of the first of [Trump’s] 438 trials to come. Pace yourselves.”, By Emlyn Travis Published on April 23, 2024 12:05PM EDT.
https://ew.com/jon-stewart-skewers-media-trump-trial-coverage-8637471

 

The resident RW posters must be busy reading this thread.

 

1 min ago
Court is breaking for lunch


We are now breaking for lunch, and the judge is instructing the jury to not discuss the case.

Steinglass says he has less than a half hour left, and Bove says he will ask another round of questions. Pecker is off the stand.

Court will resume at 2:15 p.m. ET.

1 min ago
Pecker describes how he and Michael Cohen would approach negative stories for sale about Trump
During another round of questions from the prosecution, Steinglass is having his key witness David Pecker outline his takeaways from a 2015 meeting at Trump Tower.

"It was my understanding that I would use the company's sources geared for any information that would be coming out on Mr. Trump or the campaign, related to specifically women who would be selling their stories," Pecker said.

"Those stories that come up, I would speak to Michael Cohen and tell him that, 'These are the stories that are going to be for sale,' that, 'If we don't buy them somebody else will,' and that Michael Cohen would handle — buy them or try to make sure that they don't ever get published."


4 min ago
Pecker says that prior to Trump arrangement, he didn't have deals to share positive stories about candidates
Steinglass asked Pecker whether he had ever shared positive stories about a candidate ahead of time or shared negative stories about a candidate's opponents prior to the arrangement with Trump.

Pecker said he had not previously.

Steinglass confirmed Pecker's earlier testimony that because he was friends with Trump, he didn't run negative stories about him even before the campaign.

"Prior to the August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, did AMI ever agree to publish stories attacking Mr. Trump’s political opponents?" Steinglass asks. "No," Pecker says.

Steinglass asked, "Did you ever specifically use the term catch and kill in that meeting?"

"No I did not," Pecker said.


17 min ago

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html
2

 

6 min ago
Steinglass is now seeking to tie Cohen to Trump's campaign
Steinglass is now seeking to tie Michael Cohen to Trump's campaign.

Pecker confirms that Cohen was known to work his media contacts for the campaign. Cohen went on television to talk campaign talking points and invited Pecker to a campaign fundraiser.

"When you formulated the agreement" to help the campaign in 2015, Steinglass asks if Cohen was part of the agreement. "Yes he was," Pecker says.

Steinglass asked, "In this case did you suppress stories to help a presidential candidate?"

"Yes," Pecker said with regards to 2015 agreements.

10 min ago
Prosecutor highlights Michael Cohen's involvement in the effort to buy a Trump Tower doorman's silence
Steinglass has returned to the National Enquirer's agreement with Dino Sajudin, the Trump Tower doorman who claimed to have a story about Trump fathering a child.

The prosecution is now picking at Trump attorney Emil Bove's efforts to have Pecker describe the arrangement as a standard source agreement.

Steinglass brings up an amendment to the agreement, which changed the length of the contract from 90 days to "in perpetuity." Pecker says that change was made after his conversation with then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen.

Steinglass asks if it is "standard operating procedure" for American Media Inc., the Enquirer's parent company, to consult a lawyer for a presidential candidate about a source agreement. Pecker says, "No."

Pecker also confirms that adding a clause that would require Sajudin to pay AMI $1 million if he breached the agreement was not standard operating procedure.

That, too, was made at Cohen's request, Pecker says.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

I can't keep up with their posts.
All their misdemeanor, no felony and NDAs are legal ones.

 

8 min ago
Defense cross-examination concluded with efforts to point out inconsistencies. Here's a recap


Defense attorney Emil Bove spent much of his cross-examination trying to dismantle former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker's credibility by using small inconsistencies in Pecker's statements to prosecutors over the years in comparison to his trial testimony.

Here are some key highlights:

• The defense tried to tie Pecker’s non-prosecution agreement with prosecutors to his deal to sell the National Enquirer. Pecker confirmed he was trying to sell the National Enquirer to the Hudson News Group. The deal included a provision that the investigation had to be resolved before the deal could be finalized.
• The defense tried to poke another hole in the 2018 non-prosecution agreement by producing answers from Pecker that the Enquirer's parent company, American Media Inc., did not admit to a campaign violation. Despite that testimony, the agreement does have a statement of facts saying AMI knew it was subject to federal campaign finance laws and did not report to the Federal Election Commission that it had made the $150,000 payment to model Karen McDougal.
• Bove zeroed in on a separate conciliation agreement AMI made with the FEC in 2021. Pecker pushed back on Bove when he asked about his testimony with prosecutors when he said AMI committed a campaign violation. Bove asked Pecker to confirm it wasn’t true to which Pecker pushed back, saying, “Yes, yes it was.”
• Bove pointed out that this 2021 agreement does not include an admission of a campaign violation. He elicited testimony from Pecker that his lawyers used a sworn declaration stating he sought legal advice on the McDougal agreement as a way to argue to the FEC that there was no campaign violation.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html

 

39m ago / 1:00 PM EDT
Prosecutor sets up that arrangement during campaign wasn't routine

Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass gets Pecker to admit that it was not standard for a presidential candidate’s fixer to suggest amendments to source agreements.

While it was standard for Pecker to suppress stories to help a friend or to use as leverage with a celebrity, he had never done it before primarily to help a campaign.

Pecker confirmed that while he coordinated hundreds of thousands of NDAs during his tenure at AMI, he indicated that "the only one" he did for a presidential candidate's campaign was for Trump.

54m ago / 12:45 PM EDT
Pecker confirms he bought McDougal story to influence 2016 election

Daniel Arkin

Pecker, facing questions from one of the prosecutors, confirmed under oath that he bought McDougal's story when he was running the Enquirer as part of a scheme to influence the 2016 presidential election.

Joshua Steinglass, one of the prosecutors, asked Pecker: “Is that true, Mr. Pecker, was that your purpose in locking up the Karen McDougal story, to influence the election?”

Pecker replied yes, then added that the "actual purpose was to acquire lifetime rights so [the story] was not published by any other news organization."

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/do...trial-hush-money-case-live-updates-rcna149466

 

29 min ago
Analysis: Here's who the next witness could be


While it is unclear who prosecutors will call next to the witness stand, CNN's chief legal affairs correspondent Paula Reid offers some possibilities:

Karen McDougal: While the case focuses on the payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, prosecutors have repeatedly brought up a similar deal made with former Playboy model Karen McDougal to establish a pattern and Judge Juan Merchan has allowed McDougal to testify. However, Reid says, she might not be the best witness as she's not relevant to the heart of the charges as they relate to Daniels.

Kellyanne Conway: Former Trump campaign head Kellyanne Conway's testimony would be significant because she could talk about the Access Hollywood tape, the impact it had on the campaign and the pressure they were under to maybe suppress stories about Trump's sex life, Reid says.

Hope Hicks: Former Trump campaign press secretary Hope Hicks was involved in conversations with David Pecker and Michael Cohen about hush money payments.

https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/trump-hush-money-trial-04-26-24/index.html