Donald Trump LIVE: Trump Hush Money Trial Live Updates | Stormy Daniels | New York | US News | IN18L
A key witness in Donald Trump's criminal trial testified Thursday about his role in hush money payments to a porn actress and a Playboy model the former president allegedly had affairs with — and Trump's plan to make sure other negative stories about him never saw the light of day.
David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, said Trump at one point sought to buy the rights to Karen McDougal's allegations of a monthslong affair with him, as well as other information the Enquirer had on him in its archives. Trump has denied McDougal's claims.
The former tabloid publisher David Pecker will continue testimony at Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial on Thursday, following his testimony earlier in the week.

Pecker, the former chief executive of American Media, which publishes the National Enquirer, testified that he used his position to help Trump kill negative stories that threatened his campaign.

After Trump announced his run for presidency, he invited Pecker and Michael Cohen, Trump’s former fixer, to a meeting at Trump Tower, Pecker said. Trump said he was looking for a media insider who could help suppress negative stories – a tactic prosecutors call “catch-and-kill”.

“They asked me what can I do – and what magazines could do – to help the campaign,” Pecker said, adding that he said he would be the “eyes and ears” for the campaign.

Prosecutors allege Pecker ultimately connected Trump to the adult film star Stormy Daniels in 2016, before the election. Trump has been charged with 34 felony counts of falsifying business records, allegedly covering up a $130,000 payment in 2016 to Daniels over a 2006 affair.
Pecker said that he eventually backed out of the deal for fear he could get into legal trouble — and that when he heard about adult film star Stormy Daniels' claim of a 2006 sexual encounter with Trump, he decided he couldn't front any more cash to keep his longtime friend out of trouble.
Along with Daniels, prosecutors allege American Media paid off two others who had salacious stories about Trump: a doorman who said Trump had a child out of wedlock, and a former Playboy model who said she had an extramarital affair with Trump.
Pecker confirmed that American Media paid the doorman, Dino Sajudin, $30,000 for his story, essentially quashing it by not making it public.

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