Trump Hush Money Trial Enters Fourth Day with Pecker Testimony on ‘Catch and Kill’ Schemes

The trial of former President Donald Trump for hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign has entered its fourth day, with witness testimony continuing in a Manhattan courthouse. Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker spent around ten hours on the stand over four days, detailing ‘catch and kill’ tabloid schemes designed to bury damaging stories about Trump during his run for office. Rhona Graff, who served as Donald Trump’s long-time executive assistant and has been described as his ‘gatekeeper’, appeared briefly in court yesterday but was not called upon by prosecutors or defence lawyers to testify further at this stage of the trial. Michael Cohen’s former banker Gary Farro also took the stand for a little under an hour, providing step-by-step detail about how Cohen set up an account for his LLC Essential Consultants which he used to make payments to Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal during Trump’s presidential campaign. Pecker previously stated that Trump thanked him in person at the White House following the 2016 election over what he claimed was assistance regarding potentially damaging stories about both women, although notes cited by defence attorney Emil Bove have contradicted this testimony during cross-examination yesterday morning. Former Playboy model Karen McDougal claims that Trump and herself had an affair between 2006 – 2007 which he denies; she signed a $150,000 contract with American Media Inc (AMI), parent company of the National Enquirer during the run-up to his election campaign. The deal gave AMI exclusive rights to McDougal’s account regarding any relationship with “any then-married man,” which Pecker has previously stated was specifically about Trump, and also included provisions for her to pose for magazine covers, appear on radio stations under pseudonyms as well as produce columns and other content relating to fitness and aging. The trial is expected to last between six and eight weeks with Donald Trump attending court each day; he faces criminal charges in four separate cases including the hush money payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign, an alleged scheme aimed at overturning Joe Biden’s election win from 2020 in Fulton County, Georgia as well as allegations of conspiring to obstruct Congress and the certification of electoral votes following last year’s Capitol riot.