Donald Trump's Big Day in Court as Supreme Court Immunity Hearing and Porn Star Hush Money Case Happen at Same Time
The Donald Trump hush money trial in New York continued as David Pecker continued his testimony and was even cross-examined by the Trump defense team. Around the same time, however, the Supreme Court held a hearing about Trump's immunity claims.
Pecker, the former publisher of the tabloid known as the National Enquirer, testified that he texted his then-editor-in-chief Dylan Howard. He testified that Howard told then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen that Donald Trump should be paying Stormy Daniels.
"I spoke to [Cohen], all sorted. Now we move. No fingerprints. I'll recap to you face to face," the former Trump friend testified. "I'm not going to pay for this story. I'm not going to be involved with a pornstar ... After paying out the doorman, after paying out McDougal, we're not paying out any more money."
According to The Guardian, Pecker added that Cohen was "upset, he said the boss would be furious with me" after emphasizing that he did not want to pay off any more people so that the then-President of the United States could hide any more of his scandals.
In his testimony, Pecker also admitted that he agreed to buy a story from former Playboy model Karen McDougal to specifically bury it so that it did not "embarrass or hurt the [Trump] campaign."
He also testified that then-White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee-Sanders, who is now the governor of Arkansas, was also present during one of the times he spoke to Trump about catching and killing negative stories about him, particularly during their talk about McDougal. The now-governor agreed to the catch-and-kill scheme to continue paying the former Playboy playmate off so she would not "hurt" Trump's image.
The publisher also told the court that Trump specifically told him that "Karen is a nice girl" and that he was worried news of the affair would hurt his campaign, adding that "I think you should buy the story and take it off the market." This testimony further strengthens the prosecution's argument that Michael Cohen paid Daniels hush money under the direction of Donald Trump.
Supreme Court Justices Hear Oral Arguments Over Donald Trump Immunity
Meanwhile, as David Pecker testified, Trump's other big case for the day happened in Washington, DC, as the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over Donald Trump's claims that as president, he has absolute immunity.
According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court justices seemed to be highly skeptical of Trump's claims of absolute immunity, with at least five justices appearing to reject that claim. It is likely that the case might go back to the lower courts, but if this does happen, the hearing might happen after the November elections.
Donald Trump Attacks His Former Attorney General in Late-Night Rant
Meanwhile, on the eve when he was about to face two of the biggest cases in his life, Donald Trump went on a Truth Social rant and attacked the man who used to run his Justice Department, Bill Barr, right after the former US AG endorsed him for president.
"I called him 'Weak, Slow Moving, Lethargic, Gutless, and Lazy,'" Trump wrote. Based on the fact that I greatly appreciate his wholehearted Endorsement, I am removing the word 'Lethargic' from my statement."
READ MORE: Donald Trump Spending Campaign Donors' Money on Legal Fees
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Rick Martin
WATCH: Reporter details moment that got a laugh from Trump in court - CNN
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