National Enquirer publisher David Pecker was a key witness at the hearing by the grand jury in the hush money probe involving Trump. The former president faces probable criminal charges. The case pertains to a considerable amount of hush money paid to American pornographic film actress Stormy Daniels just before the 2016 elections.
Daniels has maintained that she had a long affair with Trump that started in 2006. The former president has consistently maintained his innocence. He has denied that he has committed any crime and has maintained that he never had an affair involving Daniels.
David Pecker, the controversial CEO of American Media helped Trump funnel the hush money to Stormy Daniels and was forced to resign. He is a long-time friend of Trump and was previously the publisher of the National Enquirer. The Enquirer funneled the hush money to the two women who alleged the president had affairs with them.
David Pecker At Center Of Enquirer Policy To Stifle Stories Against Trump
The Enquirer under David Pecker has a long history of promoting Trump or attacking his opponents. The Washington Post reported that editors and executives vetted issues with Trump before publishing them.
The question had also emerged whether David Pecker received dirt on Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, and CEO from the Saudis after they hacked his phone in 2018. This incident allegedly took place months before the national Enquirer exposed Bezos’ affair by publishing his private messages.
Trump has insisted that all allegations linking him to Daniels were “made up.” He stressed that he had never had any relationship or affair involving her. Trump has also consistently denied any wrongdoing about the Daniels or the hush money case. He has consistently maintained that payments to Stormy Daniels were not part of the contribution money.
David Pecker has testified for the second time before the grand jury after earlier testifying in January. He is allegedly at the center of the “catch-and-kill” policy in which the National Enquirer would get exclusive rights to stories that were damaging to Trump at high rates and then decline to publish them.
