Ex-'National Enquirer' Publisher David Pecker Set to Testify First at Trump Trial

[BumRushDaShow]

Source: Daily Beast

Updated Apr. 21, 2024 3:44PM EDT / Published Apr. 21, 2024 3:40PM EDT


Former publishing executive David Pecker is set to testify first for the prosecution at Donald Trump’s Manhattan trial this week.

Pecker, who ran The National Enquirer at the time of the alleged hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 campaign, would be able to help shed light on how the publication offered political cover to the former president with so-called catch-and-kill schemes to bury negative stories about him.

The news of Pecker’s role for the prosecution was first reported by The New York Times. Pecker’s testimony is yet another sign Trump could be in trouble as the trial heads into opening arguments on Monday.

The former publishing executive was previously granted witness immunity back in 2018 when federal prosecutors were looking into the payments.

Read more: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ex-national-enquirer-publisher-david-pecker-set-to-testify-first-at-trump-trial

[Archae]

1. He's going to lie.

Reporters who tell the truth at the Enquirer get fired.

Anyone else as sure as I am that Pecker is going to lie?

[50 Shades Of Blue]

2. I think he'd be crazy to lie. Bragg will have grilled him in advance, and Cohen, Daniels, and McDougal

will all corroborate each other, which will make Pecker look like a liar if he deviates from how Bragg expects him to testify. That said, I wouldn't put anything past Trump and his minions to issue explicit and terrifying threats against any of them and their families if they tell the truth. But Bragg has to be prepared for that too.

I know one thing. I'm gonna be glued to MSNBC again tomorrow!

[BumRushDaShow]

5. He was supposedly given immunity in 2018 related to the federal trial (where Cohen ended up in prison)

http://www.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1808/23/wolf.02.html

https://theweek.com/speedreads/792056/national-enquirer-publisher-david-pecker-reportedly-granted-immunity-dish-trumps-porn-star-hush-money

He also testified at the grand jury for this - https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/david-pecker-national-enquirer-trump-hush-money-grand-jury-1234704557/

So they have past testimony to compare to.

[FakeNoose]

24. Exactly - Pecker has no reason to lie to this judge

I think his "loyalty" to Chump took a nosedive several years ago. It will be interesting to find out if Chump ever actually paid Pecker for the catch & kill stories. The way Chump normally rolls, he probably never did pay for the huge favor Pecker did.

[BumRushDaShow]

27. I know Weisselberg perjured himself with similar plea deals

but I doubt Pecker would do the same.

And I expect what we saw with Cohen doing the shell company creation and then payment to Pecker (getting reimbursed later), was probably the standard practice for any of the earlier "catch and kill" story payments.

[blm]

11. He probably knows Trump wanted him offed to silence him

Permanently.

It’s in his best interest to reveal everything in a legal setting if he wants to stay alive.

[Happy Hoosier]

14. I doubt it.... They have ....

[blm]

28. I think his testimony is the most dangerous to Trump

There were a LOT more stories….even worse stories.

[2naSalit]

3. Getting popcorn ready!

[iluvtennis]

17. Right with ya.

[macwriter]

4. Trump Loses Pecker

That was the tabloid headline when David Pecker became a prosecution witness to save his own neck. And to this headline my husband replied, "Well, I'm not going to help him look for it!"

And that's one of the reasons why I love my guy.

[Talitha]

6. Is Pecker the guy who had a locked safe with documents in it?

Or was that the guy who supposedly hung himself after Barr visited his cell?

It's difficult to remember all this crap!

[BumRushDaShow]

7. The safe...

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/national-enquirer-hid-trump-secrets-safe-removed-them-inauguration-n903356

[Talitha]

9. Thanks!

"removed them from the safe in the weeks before Trump’s inauguration"

Hmmm, maybe that's why Ivana's coffin was so heavy.

[BumRushDaShow]

10. LOL

[Novara]

8. This wasn't leaked by the defense, was it?

The prosecution said they would let the defense know who they were calling to testify once, but if they leaked it to the press they'd not do it again.

This wasn't leaked, was it? I know he was supposed to testify at some point but I didn't know it was going to be the first witness.

[FormerOstrich]

20. You beat me to the question!

They didn't want to reveal the witnesses but agreed to updating the defense attorneys this one time. If it leaked...no more...looks like a leak to me but dunno

[Oopsie Daisy]

12. Sorry. I blush and titter when I hear his unfortunate name *

* all of a sudden I'm a 12 year old girl again. Tee-hee-hee.

[redwitch]

26. Giggling here too!

So childish of me. Tee hee.

[Hotler]

15. You know way chickens are ugly?

They wear their peckers on their face.

[LuckyLib]

16. The entire Dumpster story would be rejected by a

publisher if your average person brought in a manuscript with such absurdities. Stormy Daniels? Pecker? Yeah, right. Trumpy wears a diaper? Ivana is buried on his golf course? You can’t make this stuff up!

[Aussie105]

19. Definitely a poor effort on the part of any script writer.

Not worthy of a book or a film. Maybe a short series, 3 episodes?

[Aussie105]

18. So what is the go here?

Pecker says the hush money really did exist and get paid because that is how we did business in the old days?

Forensic accountants testify that it was funny money?

Other forensic accountants go 'yeah, we found lots of other instances!' ?

Judge says . . . don't need no jury - GUILTY! Life in jail! (For Trump, that is anything from 10 minutes to 10 years.)

The whole show should be over by Wednesday, 4 pm at the latest.

[mwb970]

21. trump's defense is "You can't do this to me. Do you know who I am?"

This seems very weak to me when put up against the overwhelming evidence of his guilt.

And yes Donnie, we know exactly who you are.

[BumRushDaShow]

22. That about sums it up perfectly!

[FakeNoose]

25. The lawyers will try that defense, I have no doubt

However Chump wasn't president when this catch & kill activity happened. He was a private citizen, so why should he get "presidential immunity"? So far I've heard no good reasons why he should.

If he gets "presidential immunity" for these charges, then every American criminal can plead the same thing. "Your honor I plan to run for president next year, and I might win. Therefore I deserve immunity now."

[JT45242]

23. Explain catch and kill as a scam to help TFG

Enquirer would made far more in additional sales had they published the story.

Will also get into the other stories he buried and why. Will corroborate the story of Michael Cohen before Cohen even gets on the stand.

Plus. It will twist the knife in TFG as someone who should be "loyal" testifies against TFG.