New York Tabloid Media Industry Exposed in Manhattan Courtroom
NEW YORK — The gritty truth behind New York City’s tabloid media industry was unveiled in a Manhattan courtroom on Tuesday.
A prominent publisher revealed a covert scheme he had with Donald Trump and his personal lawyer Michael Cohen, dubbing it an “agreement among friends”.
Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker faced nearly three hours of questioning by prosecutors.
He disclosed that the trio collaborated to suppress negative stories about the candidate during his 2016 campaign.
“‘This could be a very big story, so I believe that it should be removed from the market’,” Pecker stated he would advise the former president regarding halting certain articles.
Pecker’s testimony holds significant weight for prosecutors aiming to demonstrate that Trump attempted to manipulate the election by silencing a story of an alleged affair.
Trump has entered a plea of not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records.
Prosecutors allege he tried to conceal a $130,000 (£104,500) payment to porn star Stormy Daniels before his victory in the 2016 White House race.
Continuing his testimony from Monday as the trial’s inaugural witness, Pecker recounted meeting Trump in the late 1980s and developing a close friendship with the former president.
The two shared a mutually “beneficial” relationship, where Trump would share exclusive information with him, including details about the participants on his reality TV show, The Apprentice. This contributed to increased viewership for the show and the National Enquirer, according to Pecker.
Shortly after Trump initiated his initial presidential bid, Pecker disclosed a meeting with Cohen and Trump in August 2015. There, Pecker agreed to suppress negative articles about the former president and promote positive stories about him, a plan Pecker insisted should be kept “as quiet as possible”.
The tabloid publisher also promised to inform Trump about stories concerning his romantic affairs, as he was “an eligible bachelor” who “dated the most beautiful women”, as per Pecker.
Pecker detailed two stories that the trio worked to suppress.
One story involved Dino Sajudin, a former Trump Tower doorman, who Pecker claimed attempted to sell an article in 2015 about an unverified rumor that Trump had once fathered a child out of wedlock.
After investigation, Pecker found the allegation to be “1,000% untrue”.
However, he agreed with Cohen to pay Sajudin $30,000 for perpetual rights to the story, as it would have been “very embarrassing for the campaign” if it surfaced, Pecker revealed.
Just before the conclusion of the court session, prosecutors delved into a hush-money agreement made with Playboy model Karen McDougal. She alleges a long-term affair with Trump, which he denies.
Pecker disclosed advising the former president to purchase McDougal’s story, but Trump hesitated.
“‘Anytime you do anything like this, it always gets out’,” Pecker claimed Trump told him. His company eventually acquired the story for $150,000.
Although prosecutors did not press charges related to these payments, Tuesday’s testimony could help provide context leading up to Daniels’ payment.
Initiating the trial with the tabloid publisher on the stand was a strategic move, according to former Brooklyn prosecutor Julie Rendelman.
“He sets the stage for how the entire ‘catch and kill’ scheme unfolded, the individuals involved, and the timeline in relation to Trump’s campaign,” she remarked.
Pecker’s testimony followed a tumultuous start for the former president’s legal team on the second day of the hush-money trial.
The day commenced with a hearing on whether Trump’s comments about individuals in the case breached a gag order.
Tensions quickly escalated between his lead attorney, Todd Blanche, and Justice Juan Merchan.
After prosecutors alleged that 10 of his social media posts violated the order, Blanche argued that his client had the right to address “political attacks”.
Judge Merchan was unconvinced.
“You’re losing all credibility with the court,” he admonished Blanche, after attempting to expedite his arguments.
Trump faces accusations from the prosecution of recurrently flouting a restriction imposed by the judge that bars him from publicly criticizing witnesses, prosecutors, and relatives of court staff.
“He is aware of the order, he knows what he’s prohibited from doing, but he does it regardless,” prosecutor Christopher Conroy informed the court.
Trump risks a $10,000 fine and a warning that future breaches of the order could result in imprisonment.
The judge deferred making a ruling on the violations for the time being.
However, former federal prosecutor Neama Rahmani expressed concern over the judge’s rebuke towards Trump’s team.
“They are unable to rein in their client, but when the judge tells a lawyer they are losing all their credibility, that’s worrisome,” Rahmani noted.
During the break following the hearing, Trump turned to his social media platform Truth Social to criticize Judge Merchan and allege unfair obstruction from defending himself against attacks. — BBC
