Defense attorneys for former President Donald Trump found inconsistencies in the ongoing case of his hush money trial on Friday regarding charges stemming from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
Trump attorney Emil Bove grilled David Pecker— the former CEO of tabloid publisher American Media, Inc.— regarding his history of burying disadvantaging stories about high-profile public people.
Pecker was asked about an FBI interview he gave in April 2018, in which he described the process as being known as a “catch-and-kill.” He said this involved buying rights to stories about public figures and never publishing them.
However, he appeared to change his testimony about the process. Pecker claimed that he first learned about “catch-and-kill” from federal prosecutors rather than it being a term used with publishing stories about Trump.
During a meeting between Pecker and Trump on Jan. 6, 2017, “Trump did not express any gratitude to Pecker and AMI” for killing a story about Trump, according to the FBI’s notes from the following year, Bove observed.
The defense attorney then pointed out how Pecker testified from the witness stand one day earlier with an entirely different account. Pecker had said Thursday that Trump did in fact thank him at the meeting because AMI-owned National Enquirer reached a $30,000 deal with a doorman during Trump’s presidential run that prevented the doorman from going public with an unproven allegation that Trump fathered a child out of wedlock. Via the Washington Examiner.
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Trump’s legal team argued that Pecker may not be a credible witness in the case. They also questioned the financial motives behind AMI's decision to buy the rights to Karen McDougal's story about her alleged affair with Trump. Bove argued that Pecker’s decision benefited AMI and not what was best for Trump’s presidential campaign at the time.
Bove accused Pecker of lying under oath, pointing out that his testimony had changed from the day before.
“I know what I testified to yesterday, and I know what I remember,” Pecker said.
“Are you suggesting the FBI made a mistake here?” Bove responded.
“I know what the truth is. I can’t state why this is written this way. I know what was said to me,” Pecker said.
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