Donald Trump Hush Money Trial: Former Trump Friend David Pecker Makes Shocking Admissions During Testimony
National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, a friend of Donald Trump, continued his testimony and made several shocking admissions under oath during the Trump hush money trial. Among his revelations is that he acted as the eyes and ears of the Trump Campaign in 2016 and usually killed negative stories about his then-friend while also making up false stories about his opponents like Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio.
Pecker testified that during a meeting with Trump and his then-lawyer Michael Cohen, the then-candidate asked him to "help the campaign." Pecker then promised that if he heard any negative stories about Trump or if he became aware of "women selling stories," he would notify Cohen. This then leads to the story being "killed."
"I would publish positive stories about Mr. Trump and negative stories about his opponents," the National Enquirer publisher admitted in front of the jury. "I would also be the eyes and ears of... the Trump Organization," adding that Trump "was pleased" about this.
"I thought there would be a lot of women trying to sell their stories," he testified. "Mr. Trump was well-known as the most-eligible bachelor, and dated the most beautiful women, and it was clear, based on my past experience, that when someone's running for public office like this, it was very common for these women to call up a magazine like the National Enquirer to try to sell their stories."
This agreement was "highly, highly confidential," and Pecker admitted that this was never put into writing because it was "just an agreement among friends." He also stated that he wanted to keep the arrangement secret because "we were going to try to help the campaign."
He also published negative stories about Trump's opponents back then, with the prosecution presenting jurors with National Enquirer headlines that read, "BUNGLING SURGEON BEN CARSON LEFT SPONGE IN PATIENT'S BRAIN!," "SHOCKING CLAIMS: PERVY TED CRUZ CAUGHT CHEATING-WITH 5 SECRET MISTRESSES!." and "'FAMILY MAN' MARCO RUBIO'S LOVE CHILD STUNNER!"
Agreement Between Donald Trump and David Pecker Came After 'Grab Her By the P*ssy' Tape
The plan came to be after the infamous Access Hollywood tape, also known as the "Grab Her By the P*ssy" tape, surfaced. This sent the Trump Campaign into overdrive as they tried to kill every single possible negative story about the then-presidential candidate.
"Another story about infidelity, with a porn star, on the heels of the Access Hollywood tape, would have been devastating to his campaign," prosecutor Matthew Colangelo told the jury. "Cohen carried out a $130,000 payoff to Daniels which Trump allegedly repaid him in checks that he listed as legal services in official company records."
"Look, no politician wants bad press, but the evidence at trial will show that this wasn't spin or communication strategy," added the prosecutor. This was a planned, coordinated, long-running conspiracy to influence the 2016 election, to help Donald Trump get elected through illegal expenditures - to silence people with something bad to say about his behavior. It was election fraud, pure and simple."
Melania Trump Closely Following the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial, Says Former Top Aide
Meanwhile, Melania herself may be following the Donald Trump Hush Money Trial more closely than most people think, according to Stephanie Grisham, who used to be the former First Lady's chief of staff and press secretary in the East Wing.
During a TV interview with CNN, Grisham told CNN anchor Erin Burnett, "I can guarantee [Melania] is watching every ounce of coverage and when that [information about Pecker's private email] came out, it piqued her interest."
"Melania is very much about proof, show proof," she added. "And so if some more damaging stuff should come out that she didn't know about because of course her husband continues to deny all of the details here, about Stormy especially."
READ MORE: Donald Trump Spending Campaign Donors' Money on Legal Fees
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Written by: Rick Martin
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