The prosecution in the criminal trial against Donald Trump moved on to new witnesses after the testimony of former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker.
Pecker’s remarks about his involvement in a scheme to suppress damaging stories about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign were met with attempts by defense attorneys to undermine his credibility.
One of the new witnesses was Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime assistant, who testified under subpoena. Graff confirmed maintaining Trump’s contact list, which included former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult film star Stormy Daniels – both of whom have alleged having sexual relations with the former president in 2006 and receiving hush money payments during his campaign.
While prosecutors used Rhona Graff’s testimony to authenticate Trump’s contacts and calendar, his lawyers portrayed him as a fair boss whom Graff respected after 34 years of employment. One attorney suggested Daniels’ presence at Trump Tower was discussed for a potential “Celebrity Apprentice” appearance.
The defense took a more aggressive approach with Pecker, the prosecution’s first witness. He had previously testified that Trump and his lawyer Michael Cohen asked him in 2015 to suppress scandals and promote negative stories about Trump’s opponents.
On Friday, a Trump lawyer, Emil Bove, confronted Pecker with alleged inconsistencies between his testimony about Trump thanking him for keeping stories quiet and what he initially told the FBI in 2018 interviews.
Pecker stood by his account of Trump expressing gratitude, despite the FBI notes contradicting this. Prosecutors followed up by confirming he had stated the same in a separate 2018 interview.
Bove also got Pecker to acknowledge the Enquirer routinely bought and killed stories it never published, using non-disclosure agreements. However, the latter said negotiating those NDAs with a presidential candidate’s “fixer” to aid a campaign was unprecedented.
Additionally, David Pecker had detailed efforts to kill stories about an alleged Trump love child, an affair with McDougal, and Daniels’ claimed sexual encounter – the last involving a $130,000 payment to Daniels that Trump later repaid Cohen.
The trial will resume Tuesday with further testimony from a bank official involved in the Daniels payment, as prosecutors continue building their case that Trump falsified business records over the hush money.
