David Pecker gave prosecutors just what they were looking for in Trump hush money testimony

NEW YORK — While Donald Trump’s federal charges for election fraud appeared poised for possible delay on Thursday, prosecutors in his Manhattan criminal case secured testimony to help bolster their claims that he committed election fraud of a different sort.

David Pecker, a key witness in the Manhattan trial, testified that he agreed to execute “catch and kill” deals expressly in service of helping Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign — a plot that prosecutors have labeled a conspiracy to illegally influence the election.

In his third day of testimony, Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, offered jurors a vivid recounting of two such arrangements: one with Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model who claimed she had a yearlong relationship with Trump, and the other with Stormy Daniels, a porn star who alleged a sexual encounter with Trump, and whose deal is at the center of the New York felony charges against him.

In answering prosecutors’ questions Thursday, Pecker also offered the most detailed look yet at Trump’s personal involvement in securing non-disclosure agreements with the two women to prevent them from going public with their stories during the 2016 presidential campaign, culminating in a “thank you” dinner Trump hosted for Pecker at the White House in July 2017.

When Pecker told Trump his wife couldn’t make it, Trump suggested he invite friends or business associates, Pecker testified. “It’s your dinner,” Trump said, according to Pecker.

The two chatted in the Oval Office before walking past the Rose Garden to the dining area, Pecker recalled. At that point, Trump asked, “How’s Karen doing?” referring to McDougal, Pecker said. The publisher replied: “She’s doing well. She’s quiet. Everything is going good.”

Pecker had struck the deal to pay $150,000 to McDougal to buy the rights to her story with no intention of ever publishing it.

“Was your principle purpose in entering into the agreement with Karen McDougal to suppress her story so as to prevent it from influencing the election?” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass asked him.

“Yes, it was,” Pecker replied.

When the Wall Street Journal inquired about the deal, Pecker authorized his company to lie about it. Asked why, Pecker said: “I wanted to protect my company, I wanted to protect myself and I wanted, also, to protect Donald Trump.”

When it came to the Daniels deal, Pecker said, Trump lawyer Michael Cohen was desperate to get Pecker to once again pay the hush money, telling Pecker “the boss would be furious” at Pecker if he didn’t.

But Pecker refused, telling Cohen he had already paid for two “catch and kill” arrangements for Trump — the McDougal deal and an earlier one involving a former Trump Tower doorman — and that the National Enquirer’s largest distributor, Walmart, would be displeased by its association with a porn star.

After Pecker declined to strike the Daniels deal, Cohen paid for it, according to prosecutors. Trump eventually reimbursed him and, in the process, falsified business documents to cover up the reimbursement, the prosecutors say.

In January 2017, after Trump won the election, Pecker went to Trump Tower to meet with the president-elect.

When Pecker arrived at Trump’s office, James Comey, Sean Spicer, Reince Priebus and Mike Pompeo were seated there, updating Trump about a shooting that had just occurred.

Trump introduced Pecker to each of them, telling them Pecker was the publisher of the National Enquirer, “and he probably knows more than anybody else in this room.”

“Unfortunately, they didn’t laugh,” Pecker said, drawing chuckles from the courtroom.

After they left, Trump asked Pecker about McDougal, saying, “How’s our girl doing?”

Pecker said Trump told him, “I want to thank you for handling the McDougal situation.” Trump added: “I want to thank you for the doorman situation.”

“I felt that he was thanking me for buying them and for not publishing any of the stories and helping the way I did,” Pecker said.

The effect of Pecker’s testimony was mitigated to some extent during cross examination from Trump lawyer Emil Bove. Under questioning from Bove, Pecker acknowledged that, long before Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, Pecker had sought to publish positive stories and suppress negative ones about Trump because it was good for business.

And though Pecker had spent hours offering damaging testimony about the former president, he said that even though the two haven’t spoken in recent years, “I still consider him a friend.”

Asked by Steinglass if Pecker harbored any ill will toward Trump, Pecker emphatically denied that.

“On the contrary,” Pecker said, “As I talked about Monday, I felt that Donald Trump was my mentor. He helped me throughout my career.”

He added: “I have no ill will at all.”