In courtroom testimony this week, David Pecker — a media figure associated with the tabloid the National Enquirer — directly admitted to an ambition of impacting the 2016 presidential election via some of his past dealings. Considering his evident association with Donald Trump — the defendant — throughout those periods, the admission could ensnare Trump.
“Was your principle purpose in entering into the agreement with Karen McDougal to suppress her story so as to prevent it from influencing the election?” a member of the prosecution asked Pecker while the latter was on the stand, per POLITICO. Pecker replied in the affirmative.
The questioner was referring to an infamous deal that temporarily silenced a woman named Karen McDougal, who’s said that she had an affair with Trump. The purchasers in the Enquirer camp swept up the rights to that account and kept the story hidden rather than publicizing what McDougal claimed. The effect mirrored a hush money deal that lies perhaps more directly behind Trump’s actual charges, which accuse him of falsifying business records in connection to hush money given to Stormy Daniels around that time. Daniels and McDougal may both eventually testify during this trial.
The element of an alleged ambition to target the 2016 elections is a key element of prosecutors’ case against Trump. Those allegations allowed for upping the claims of falsifying records to felony charges.
Trump is watching all of this unfold firsthand, as he’s compelled to attend the proceedings specifically because of their criminal nature, putting the case in contrast with Trump’s recent rounds of civil litigation. He’s facing another hearing on alleged violations of a gag order imposed in the case — protecting witnesses, jurors, and others — that’s scheduled for next week, with his attendance also required. And it’s a serious requirement, with detention possible if he decides to not show up.
