David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, returned to the witness stand for a fourth day as defense attorneys tried to poke holes in his testimony about his tabloid's efforts to protect his old friend from potentially damaging stories using a catch-and-kill scheme.
Pecker's testimony is crucial for prosecutors, who allege the effort was a way to illegally influence the 2016 election. Under cross-examination, Trump's lawyers are trying to show that any dealings Trump had with Pecker were intended to protect Trump, his reputation and his family — not his campaign.
Pecker has testified that he hatched a plan with Trump and then-Trump attorney Michael Cohen in August 2015 for the National Enquirer to help Trump’s presidential campaign.
But, under questioning by Trump lawyer Emil Bove, Pecker acknowledged there was no mention at that meeting of the term “catch-and-kill,” which describes the practice of tabloids purchasing the rights to story so they never see the light of day. Nor was there discussion at the meeting of any “financial dimension,” such as the National Enquirer paying people on Trump’s behalf for the rights to their stories, Pecker said.
Bove also confronted Pecker with statements he made to federal prosecutors in 2018 that the defense lawyer said were “inconsistent” with the former publisher’s testimony earlier this week. Pecker previously testified that Trump thanked him during a White House visit in 2017 for his help burying two stories.
But according to notes cited by Bove in court, Pecker had previously told federal authorities that Trump did not express any gratitude to him during the meeting.
