The Latest Updates on the Donald Trump Trial from One America News Network
OAN’s Brooke Mallory
UPDATED 12:26 PM – Friday, April 26, 2024
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial in New York City on felony charges pertaining to an alleged 2016 hush money payment to former porno actress Stormy Daniels. It is the first time in history that a former president of the United States has faced criminal prosecution.
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In April of 2023, Trump entered a not guilty plea to a 34-count indictment that accused him of allegedly fabricating business records to conceal the repayment of a hush money payment made to Daniels by his former attorney, Michael Cohen.
Thursday, April 25th ►
8:52 A.M.:
David Pecker testified before the court on Tuesday, claiming that he had allegedly promised to act as Trump’s “eyes and ears” in 2015, notifying Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, of any stories that could harm the candidate’s chances of winning the presidency.
Cohen, who is now a fierce opponent of Trump, is anticipated to be the main witness used by the prosecution against him.
“I said, ‘I would be your eyes and ears,’” Pecker said to the court. “And then I said that anything that I hear in the marketplace, if I hear anything negative about yourself or if I hear anything about women selling stories, I would notify Michael Cohen.”
9:37 A.M.:
The former president stopped to address the cameras as he arrived at the courthouse before going into the courtroom.
He discussed President Biden’s campaign trip at a construction site and blasted the Democrat president while noting the weak economic growth figures that were revealed that morning. Trump also made a quick observation regarding the Supreme Court’s immunity arguments.
“I think that the Supreme Court has a very important argument before it today. I would have loved to have been there, but this judge would not allow that to happen,” Trump said to reporters. “I should be there, but he wouldn’t allow it to happen. I think he puts himself above the Supreme Court, which is unfortunate, isn’t it?”
He then reiterated his argument that previous presidents should be shielded from prosecution at the federal level. Presidents “aren’t going to take any risks, both good and bad,” if not, he stated.
9:51 A.M.:
Chris Conroy, an attorney with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, informed the judge as the hearing began that Trump had “broken the gag order,” limiting his ability to speak about the parties to the case.
At the defense table, Trump sat impassive, facing forward, while Conroy read the alleged breaches.
Conroy highlighted a question posed to Trump at a campaign rally earlier in the morning about his thoughts on Pecker’s testimony. According to Trump, he was “very nice.”
Merchan did not issue any ruling on the matter.
10:21 A.M.:
Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass had resumed questioning on Tuesday after Pecker returned to the stand, focusing on the second instance of “catch and kill” that was allegedly used to suppress an unfavorable Trump article in 2016.
Trump refuted the allegation made by Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, that she had an affair with him.
Pecker said that McDougal’s lawyer, Keith Davidson, had initially told Dylan Howard, the editor of the National Enquirer, about the story.
10:43 A.M.:
Pecker stated that additional clauses included in the agreement to acquire the rights to McDougal’s narrative were meant to hide the real goal of the arrangement, which was to keep her account of an alleged affair with Trump secret.
The jury was shown the contract by the prosecutors. The aforementioned “limited life story rights” included “any romantic, personal and/or physical relationship McDougal has ever had with any then-married men.” Pecker clarified that he was “referring to Donald Trump.”
In addition, McDougal granted AMI permission to use her name, likeness, and image, and she agreed to write a column for certain of the company’s periodicals.
“With respect to campaign laws, I wanted to have the contract be a record that stipulates that, for the services that she was going to perform for American Media, as a basis for it, for the $150,000,” Pecker said.
The prosecutor, Steinglass, questioned whether the clauses were designed to hide the true nature of the agreement. “Yes, it was,” replied Pecker. When inquired about his plans to publish her narrative, he said, “No, we did not.”
“We purchased the story so it wouldn’t be published by any other organization,” he said later, referring to himself and Cohen. “We didn’t want the story to embarrass Mr. Trump or embarrass or hurt the campaign.”
11:16 A.M.:
Pecker claimed that in September 2016, after not being reimbursed the $150,000 he paid for McDougal’s story, Cohen got in touch with him and stated that Trump was interested in obtaining the rights. Upon Pecker’s inquiry, Cohen explained that “the boss” wished to maintain control over the narrative in the event that Pecker was “hit by a bus” or “the company got sold.”
According to Pecker, he promised Cohen that he would deduct $25,000 from the purchase to cover editorial costs and charge Cohen the remaining amount. Cohen, according to his testimony, “wanted the contract done yesterday.”
Pecker further stated that in order to prevent AMI from cashing a check from the Trump Organization, he wanted the transaction to go through a third party. He claimed that editors and other staff members would have concerns about such a payment.
He also claimed to have hired Investor Advisory Services, a business headed by a former AMI official, to manage the payment from Resolution Consultants, an LLC that Cohen had established.
An invoice dated September 21st, 2016, for $125,000 was presented by the prosecution to Resolution Consultants from Investor Advisory Services. According to the services description, the payment was for “agreed upon flat fee for advisory services.” According to Pecker, the money was actually paid for the rights to McDougal’s narrative.
“I called Michael Cohen and said to him, ‘The assignment deal is off. I’m not going forward. It’s a bad idea. I want you to rip up the agreement,’” Pecker said in his testimony. “He was very upset, screaming basically.”
“To be clear, Mr. Pecker, did AMI ever get reimbursed for the money it spent to acquire the exclusive rights of Karen McDougal’s story?” asked Steinglass, the prosecutor.
“No,” Pecker answered.
12:33 P.M.:
After a short intermission, Cohen returned to the stand, where the questions focused on what happened to the $130,000 that Cohen eventually gave to Stormy Daniels, the adult film star who claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Trump. Trump disputes her story.
Pecker claimed that early in October 2016, while eating dinner with his spouse, he got a “urgent call” from Dylan Howard, the editor of the National Enquirer. Howard informed him that talent agent Gina Rodriguez and McDougal’s lawyer Keith Davidson had gotten in touch with him. They were perusing Daniels’s narrative.
Howard said they could “acquire the story for $120,000 if we make the decision right now,” Howard informed Pecker. The discussion followed the release of the “Access Hollywood” tape, a 2005 audio in which Trump jokingly said he could “grab [women] by the p****” after being asked how women react to men when they’re a “star.”
According to Pecker, he told Howard, “We can’t pay $120,000.”
“I said, I don’t want the National Enquirer to be associated with a porn star. Our largest retailer is Walmart,” he testified. “This would be very bad for the magazine, very bad for American Media and I don’t want any affiliation.”
1:07 P.M.:
Pecker, In January 2017, claimed to have met Trump at Trump Tower during his time as the president-elect.
“I’ve never seen security like that in my lifetime,” Pecker remarked.
“He said, ‘Here is David Pecker, he is the owner and publisher of the National Enquirer. He probably knows more than the people in this room.’ Nobody laughed,” Pecker testified.
“I want to thank you for handling the McDougal situation” and the “doorman situation,” Pecker said, claiming that Trump told him that.
*Break Ends, Session Resumes*
3:02 P.M.:
After taking a break, Pecker got back up on the stand and recalled having a first in-person encounter with McDougal over lunch in August 2017.
Days before the 2016 election, the Wall Street Journal made public the arrangement that McDougal signed with the National Enquirer. Pecker had testified earlier that he had consented to change their agreement so that McDougal could address the media following the publication of the WSJ article. He alleged that he arranged for her to work with a media advisor who answered to him.
Pecker claimed that McDougal discussed her career goals and the pieces she was writing at the 2017 lunch. “My standpoint was that we were complying to the agreement and that she was comfortable,” he said. “I wanted her to remain in our family, I should say.”
The prosecutor, Steinglass, then showed another headline from a January 12th, 2018, Wall Street Journal article, which read, “Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for Adult-Film Star’s Silence.” The narrative represented the first official admission of Cohen’s payment to Daniels. Daniels filed a lawsuit against Trump to terminate the deal with Cohen at the beginning of March, with legal representation from now-imprisoned lawyer Michael Avenatti.
On March 23rd, 2018, McDougal spoke with CNN in an interview. Pecker claimed that after watching it that evening, Trump phoned him the following day to discuss it.
“Did you see the Anderson Cooper interview with Karen McDougal?” Trump asked, Pecker claimed. “I thought we had an agreement with Karen McDougal that she can’t give any interviews or be on any television shows.”
Pecker then claimed that he informed Trump about the amendment that permits McDougal to address the press. He alleged that Trump lost his cool and declared that he “could not understand why” he would alter the agreement.
“He was very upset, he couldn’t understand why I did it. That was basically the conversation,” Pecker said in testimony.
*Break Ends, Session Resumes*
3:32 P.M.:
After taking a break, Pecker got back up on the stand and recalled having a first in-person encounter with McDougal over lunch in August 2017.
Days before the 2016 election, the Wall Street Journal made public the arrangement that McDougal signed with the National Enquirer. Pecker had testified earlier that he had consented to change their agreement so that McDougal could address the media following the publication of the WSJ article. He alleged that he arranged for her to work with a media advisor who answered to him.
Pecker claimed that McDougal discussed her career goals and the pieces she was writing at the 2017 lunch. “My standpoint was that we were complying to the agreement and that she was comfortable,” he said. “I wanted her to remain in our family, I should say.”
The prosecutor, Steinglass, then showed another headline from a January 12th, 2018, Wall Street Journal article, which read, “Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for Adult-Film Star’s Silence.” The narrative represented the first official admission of Cohen’s payment to Daniels. Daniels filed a lawsuit against Trump to terminate the deal with Cohen at the beginning of March, with legal representation from now-imprisoned lawyer Michael Avenatti.
On March 23rd, 2018, McDougal spoke with CNN in an interview. Pecker claimed that after watching it that evening, Trump phoned him the following day to discuss it.
“Did you see the Anderson Cooper interview with Karen McDougal?” Trump asked, Pecker claimed. “I thought we had an agreement with Karen McDougal that she can’t give any interviews or be on any television shows.”
Pecker then claimed that he informed Trump about the amendment that permits McDougal to address the press. He alleged that Trump lost his cool and declared that he “could not understand why” he would alter the agreement.
“He was very upset, he couldn’t understand why I did it. That was basically the conversation,” Pecker said in testimony.
3:32 P.M.:
After taking a break, Pecker got back up on the stand and recalled having a first in-person encounter with McDougal over lunch in August 2017.
Days before the 2016 election, the Wall Street Journal made public the arrangement that McDougal signed with the National Enquirer. Pecker had testified earlier that he had consented to change their agreement so that McDougal could address the media following the publication of the WSJ article. He alleged that he arranged for her to work with a media advisor who answered to him.
Pecker claimed that McDougal discussed her career goals and the pieces she was writing at the 2017 lunch. “My standpoint was that we were complying to the agreement and that she was comfortable,” he said. “I wanted her to remain in our family, I should say.”
The prosecutor, Steinglass, then showed another headline from a January 12th, 2018, Wall Street Journal article, which read, “Trump Lawyer Arranged $130,000 Payment for Adult-Film Star’s Silence.” The narrative represented the first official admission of Cohen’s payment to Daniels. Daniels filed a lawsuit against Trump to terminate the deal with Cohen at the beginning of March, with legal representation from now-imprisoned lawyer Michael Avenatti.
On March 23rd, 2018, McDougal spoke with CNN in an interview. Pecker
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