On the second day of the New York criminal trial against President Trump, it’s not looking too good for the prosecution.
Alvin Bragg’s first witness, David Pecker, former CEO of American Media Inc., parent company of the National Enquirer tabloid, took the stand today.
Pecker was tasked with providing insights into the “catch and kill” practice used to suppress unfavorable stories about Trump.
This tactic entails acquiring the rights to a story but refraining from publishing it, thereby concealing negative publicity from the public eye.
The prosecution anticipated Pecker would confirm their claim that President Trump instructed him to “catch and kill” stories that could harm his 2016 presidential campaign.
However, Pecker’s testimony contradicted their narrative.
He completely chipped away at the narrative by revealing that it was actually Trump’s disgraced former lawyer, Michael Cohen—not Trump himself—who expressed concerns about the potential repercussions of negative stories on Trump’s campaign.
🚨 MUST-READ UPDATE 🚨
— Patriot911 (@Patriot911News) April 23, 2024
SHOCKING testimony at Donald Trump’s trial! Key witness claims Trump DIDN’T instigate “catch and kill” stories! Did the prosecution just self-destruct? Report here: https://t.co/WKnfkqoSzp #TrumpTrial #DavidPecker #AlvinBragg
CBS News reported:
Pecker said that in 2015, he received a call from Cohen, Trump’s longtime personal attorney, telling him that “the boss wanted to see me.”
At a meeting in August 2015 with Trump, Cohen and Hope Hicks, Pecker said he told them he would publish positive stories about Trump, as well as negative stories about his opponents for the 2016 Republican presidential nomination.
“I said, ‘I would be your eyes and ears,’” Pecker told the court. “And then I said that anything that I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself or if I hear anything about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen.”
Pecker said he thought “a lot of women would come out to try to sell their stories because Mr. Trump was well-known as the most eligible bachelor, and dated the most beautiful women.” He said the arrangement was “a mutual benefit — it would help his campaign, it would also help me.”
Asked how Trump reacted, Pecker said, “As I recollect, he was pleased. Michael Cohen was pleased.” He said nothing was put into writing, describing it as “an agreement among friends.”
After the meeting, which lasted 20 or 25 minutes, Pecker said he told his editors to be on the lookout for stories about Trump: “I want you to vet the stories, I want you to bring them to me, and then we’ll have to speak to Michael Cohen.” He said he told Dylan Howard, the editor in chief of the Enquirer, that they were “going to try to help the campaign, and to do that, we are going to keep this as quiet as possible.”
Pecker further stated that his interest in working with Cohen stemmed from a “mutually beneficial” business partnership that enhanced tabloid sales.
This unexpected revelation in Pecker’s testimony caught the attention of some members of the media and political analysts.
A political analyst from Travis Media Group posted this on X:
JUST IN: David Pecker just testified that he’s the one who told Trump women might come to him with stories, because Trump was such a popular bachelor who dated the most beautiful women.
— 🇺🇸Travis Media Group🇺🇸 (@TM1Politics) April 23, 2024
Apparently Trump was just planning a campaign run, but Pecker and Cohen were the ones… pic.twitter.com/WHa0T5AnBl
Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of the National Pulse, replied to the Travis Media Group post:
This ⬇️
— Raheem. (@RaheemKassam) April 23, 2024
Pecker effectively testified today that he and Cohen drummed up this scheme, without Trump’s instruction.
Not a good day for Alvin Bragg and Joe Biden!!! https://t.co/gSGjVevzaO
