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David Pecker Testifies on “Hush Money” Trial
Former AMI chief David Pecker continued his testimony on Thursday morning during ex-president Donald Trump’s trial involving hush money payments. Pecker revealed that besides Michael Cohen, he believed that Donald Trump also had knowledge of the catch-and-kill contract for former Playboy model Karen McDougal.
Exhibit: Karen McDougal Deal
The contract involved purchasing the “Limited Life Story Rights” for any romantic, personal, or physical relationship McDougal had with any married man. AMI was to pay $150,000 within two days of the agreement’s execution and had sole discretion over creative or business decisions. Pecker admitted that there was no intention to publish McDougal’s story, and he confirmed that he believed Donald Trump was aware of the contract.
Pecker’s testimony directly links Trump to the proposed catch-and-kill scheme, which aims to establish a connection between Trump’s payment and potential election interference.
Resolution Agreement
Pecker also mentioned an assignment agreement where AMI transferred McDougal’s story rights to Resolution Consultants LLC for $125,000 in 2016. Although the agreement was signed, it was never executed.
Cohen’s reaction to Pecker’s decision to back out of the deal was intense, with threats from Cohen about Trump’s potential anger. However, Pecker stood by his choice to terminate the agreement.
Legal Perspectives
Legal columnists have noted Pecker’s claims about the agreement being based on Cohen’s assurance of Trump reimbursing AMI, highlighting potential criminal conspiracy and campaign finance law violations. The motivation behind the deal was to prevent the publication of McDougal’s story by any other organization to avoid embarrassing Trump or his campaign.
Pecker’s cooperation under a non-prosecution deal mandates truthful testimony in the trial, shedding light on AMI’s involvement as an intelligence-gathering entity, hush money provider, and propaganda disseminator targeting political rivals.
SDNY revealed AMI’s non-prosecution deal related to campaign finance violations, emphasizing the importance of campaign finance compliance in the trial.
The Prosecution’s Case
The trial, which marks the first criminal trial of a former American president in U.S. history, focuses on 34 criminal counts related to falsifying business records in connection to the Stormy Daniels’ payment aimed at influencing an election.
While President Biden focuses on rebuilding America, prosecutors are building a case that could potentially result in the conviction of Donald Trump.
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