David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, is slated to be the initial witness for the prosecution in the trial involving former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Pecker served as the chief executive of American Media and helmed the National Enquirer from 1999 until August 2020.
He had a longstanding friendship with Trump and played a pivotal role in shielding potentially damaging stories about Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.
The nature of Pecker’s involvement in the trial remains uncertain. It’s unclear whether he volunteered to testify or if he was subpoenaed, as well as his current relationship with the former president.
Pecker’s Role in Trump’s Legal Saga
Prosecutors allege that Pecker, along with Trump and his former attorney Michael Cohen, orchestrated a plan in August 2015 at Trump Tower to suppress negative stories about Trump.
This plan involved purchasing exclusive rights to these stories and ensuring they were never published—a tactic commonly known as “catch and kill.”
One such incident involves Stormy Daniels, an adult film actress who claimed to have had an affair with Trump and was allegedly paid $130,000 to keep quiet about it.
This payment forms a significant part of the case against Trump, who faces charges of falsifying business records.
Cohen, who has since severed ties with Trump, is expected to testify against him and has claimed he made the payment at Trump’s direction.
Pecker and American Media provided prosecutors with information regarding Cohen’s payment to Daniels after being subpoenaed in April 2018. Pecker later received immunity in exchange for testimony regarding Trump’s awareness of the payment.
Pecker is also expected to testify that he ran stories in the National Enquirer to bolster Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign, according to prosecutor Joshua Steinglass.
Pecker’s previous testimonies before the Manhattan grand jury in 2023 are also likely to be scrutinized.
