As part of the ongoing investigation into Trump’s attempts to hide hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, a grand jury has heard testimony from Pecker twice. The former president is facing accusations of falsifying business records in an effort to conceal these payments, made just weeks before the 2016 election. Despite Trump’s attacks on the investigation via social media, the inquiry continues and Pecker has been seen departing the court complex after testifying.
What could be the reason for Pecker testifying? A 2018 Wall Street Journal article gives us what could very well be the answer. Former President Donald Trump reportedly sought assistance from his longtime friend and publisher of the National Enquirer, David Pecker, in a bid to silence women who might reveal details of his past sexual relationships during his presidential campaign, according to The Wall Street Journal. In an August 2015 meeting at Trump Tower, Trump inquired about possible ways Pecker could contribute to his campaign.
Pecker’s solution was to employ a ‘catch and kill’ strategy, in which his tabloid would acquire exclusive rights to these stories but never publish them, thereby keeping them out of public scrutiny. In 2016, Trump is alleged to have asked Pecker to quash a story detailing an affair with Karen McDougal, a claim that Trump vehemently denies. American Media Inc., Pecker’s company, subsequently paid McDougal $150,000 to remain silent.
Pecker was spotted entering the building where the grand jury was meeting around 2 p.m. ET when the grand jury commenced and exiting around 3:30 p.m. ET. A crucial figure in the hush money payment scheme, Pecker assumed the role of executive advisor in August 2020, following campaign finance scrutiny involving him and AMI. A non-prosecution agreement was signed with prosecutors by AMI.
In January, CNN reported that Pecker had met with prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office regarding the investigation. He had also met with prosecutors from the same office since 2019. Pecker and another associate were granted immunity in the federal probe in exchange for their grand jury testimony.
Court documents reveal that an agent for adult film actress Stormy Daniels contacted AMI in October 2016, stating that Daniels was prepared to speak publicly about her alleged affair with Trump, which the former president denies. Pecker relayed this information to Trump’s former attorney, Michael Cohen, who then negotiated with Daniels’ lawyer to purchase her silence for $130,000, as stated in the court filings from Cohen’s plea agreement.
