The second day of arguments in former US President Donald Trump's New York hush money trial ended with prosecutors' cross-examination of former tabloid publisher David Pecker taking up most of the proceedings.
President Trump has been charged with 34 felonies for falsifying business documents in connection with payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels.
Daniels, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, is accused of misrepresenting repayments to attorney Michael Cohen, who paid Daniels $130,000 in exchange for his silence about the affair. President Trump has denied that there was an affair.
To constitute a felony, prosecutors must convince a jury that the tampering was intended to commit another crime. They have so far focused on allegations of fraud affecting the 2016 presidential election, which Trump ultimately won. Trump's defense attorneys insist he did nothing wrong.
On Tuesday, prosecutors focused on a “catch-and-kill” arrangement between Mr. Pecker and Mr. Trump in which the publisher bought negative articles about Trump but did not publish them in the National Enquirer. I guessed.
Here are five takeaways from this trial.
Pecker says he has agreed to be the Trump campaign's “eyes and ears”
Describing their relationship with Trump dating back to the 1980s, Pecker said that during a meeting in August 2015, about 15 months before the 2016 presidential election, Trump and Cohen told Pecker that they were “campaigning.” He told prosecutors that he pressured her to provide assistance.
Pecker said he agreed to be the campaign's “eyes and ears” and to alert Cohen if people were trying to sell disgraceful stories about President Trump to the National Enquirer. Ta.
Meanwhile, Mr. Cohen regularly called Mr. Pecker and asked him to report negatively on Mr. Trump's leading candidates for the Republican nomination, including senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio. did.
Pecker initially said blocking negative articles about Trump would benefit both the tabloids and the Trump campaign, but later acknowledged that the strategy only benefited the Trump campaign.
Details of the “catch and kill” plan
Much of Tuesday's proceedings included elaborating on a process that Pecker, Trump and Cohen called “catch-and-kill.”
He explained how American Media, which owns the National Enquirer, paid a doorman $30,000 for an article alleging that President Trump had fathered a child out of wedlock. The agreement included a clause that if the doorman still went public with her claims, she would be liable for $1 million.
Pecker called it “basically a lever” to ensure the doorman's compliance.
He also explained how model Karen McDougal approached the National Enquirer about her alleged affair with Trump. Mr. Pecker said Mr. Cohen appeared to be under “a lot of pressure,” as he received a direct phone call from President Trump following the information and several subsequent calls from Mr. Cohen.
The National Enquirer eventually bought the story for $150,000 in order to kill it.
Pecker talks about his decades-long relationship with President Trump
While prosecutors may have been focused on preparations for the 2016 presidential election, Pecker's testimony is a reminder that Trump was a tabloid darling long before he became a political candidate. It was something that made me do it.
Pecker said he met Trump in the 1980s when he was editing Trump Style magazine. He said the two enjoyed a “great relationship” and considered themselves friends until 2017.
Pecker said that when Trump was the host of the reality show “The Apprentice,” Trump would tip him off about events on the show before it aired.
Prosecutors charge President Trump with violating gag order
Judge Juan Melchán barred President Trump from publicly commenting on witnesses involved in the trial, but prosecutors began Tuesday's hearing by accusing the former president of “willful violation” of the gag order. Ta.
They pressured Marchand to hold Trump in contempt of court.
In a sometimes tense exchange, Trump's lawyer, Todd Blanche, argued that the social media posts in question were a response to comments about Trump, not a direct attack.
Marchand seemed skeptical of arguments that focused specifically on Trump's responsibility for the images and sentiments he reposted on social media.
At one point, Machan warns Blanche, “You've lost all trust.” However, no decision was made regarding Tuesday's gag order.
Trump continues to be defiant on social media
Despite the hearing on the gag order, Trump used Truth Social's platform to criticize Marchand and the court.
During a break he wrote: This is a kangaroo court. The judge should recuse himself. ”
Speaking to reporters after the day's hearing, he again called the gag order “unconstitutional.”
