In a stunning revelation during the ongoing hush money trial of former President Donald Trump, prosecutor Matthew Colangelo claimed that Trump was "desperate" to prevent Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal from going public about their alleged affair. The prosecutor's statement highlights the central role McDougal plays in the scandal that has led to Trump facing 34 felony counts of falsifying business records.
"Mr. Trump desperately did not want this information about Karen McDougal to become public because he was concerned about its impact on the election," Colangelo said in court. The prosecutor alleged that Trump collaborated with his former lawyer Michael Cohen and David Pecker, the former head of the National Enquirer's parent company, to pay McDougal $150,000 in exchange for her silence.
While the charges against Trump are not directly related to the payment made to McDougal, her potential testimony could prove crucial in the trial. McDougal, a former Playboy model, claimed she had a 10-month affair with Trump that began in 2006, an allegation the former president denies.
#DemVoice1 #DemsUnited #Fresh
Pecker alerted Trump when stories that might hurt his Presidential campaign came up.
He’d handle it via Cohen - the Stormy Daniel’s one night stand or by a Catch and Kill -Trumps 10 month affair with Karen McDougal.
#TrumpTrials #Degenerate pic.twitter.com/p6Fd2I0ZUo — Margie (@MargieVotes) April 22, 2024
The hush money payment to McDougal was orchestrated through a "catch and kill" arrangement negotiated by Cohen with the National Enquirer in 2016. The tabloid, owned by American Media Inc. (AMI), paid McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story, which Cohen funded. AMI was later fined $187,500 by the Federal Election Commission for issuing the payment with the intent of influencing the election.
McDougal has been vocal about her experience, stating, "AMI lied to me, made empty promises and repeatedly intimidated and manipulated me. I just want the opportunity to set the record straight and move on with my life, free from this company, its executives and its lawyers."
As the trial unfolds, all eyes are on David Pecker, who is expected to be the first witness to take the stand. Pecker's testimony is anticipated to shed light on AMI's "catch-and-kill" strategy, which involved routinely paying for scandalous stories that were never published.
According to a Federal Election Commission agreement with AMI, Pecker met with Trump and Cohen in August 2015 to discuss ways to "help deal with negative stories about Trump" by purchasing them and suppressing their publication. When McDougal's lawyer contacted AMI, Pecker and Dylan Howard, the company's vice president and chief content officer, informed Cohen of the situation.
In August 2016, AMI paid McDougal $150,000 for her life story, including details about her alleged relationship with "any then-married man," but the story was never published. This transaction is at the heart of the ongoing hush money scandal that has entangled the former president.
As the trial progresses, the testimonies of key witnesses like Karen McDougal and David Pecker are expected to provide crucial insights into the alleged efforts to silence individuals who could have potentially impacted the 2016 presidential election. The outcome of this high-profile case could have significant implications for Donald Trump's political future and the broader landscape of American politics.
