The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Trump trial told: ‘I know what truth is’
Donald Trump’s defence team in his hush money case has sought to undermine the evidence of the prosecution’s lead witness and his account that a tabloid’s practice of helping to bury embarrassing stories about Trump was part of a scheme to aid the Republican’s 2016 campaign.
David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, continued his evidence for a fourth day in New York as defence lawyers tried to poke holes in his claims about his tabloid’s efforts to protect his friend from potentially damaging stories.
Mr Pecker’s evidence is crucial for prosecutors, who allege the effort was a way to illegally influence the 2016 election.
Under crossexamination, Trump’s lawyers are trying to show any dealings Trump had with Mr Pecker were intended to protect Trump, his reputation and his family – not his campaign.
Mr Pecker has said he hatched a plan with Trump and then-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen in August 2015 for the National Enquirer to help Trump’s presidential campaign.
But, under questioning by Trump lawyer Emil Bove, Mr Pecker acknowledged there was no mention at that meeting of the term “catch-and-kill”, which describes the practice of purchasing the rights to stories so they are never published.
Nor was there discussion at the meeting of any “financial dimension”, such as the National Enquirer paying people on Trump’s behalf for their stories, Mr Pecker said.
Mr Bove also confronted Mr Pecker with statements he made to prosecutors in 2018 that the defence lawyer said were “inconsistent” with his earlier evidence.
Mr Pecker previously gave evidence Trump thanked him on a White House visit in 2017 for his help burying two stories.
But according to notes Mr Bove read in court, Mr Pecker told federal authorities that Trump did not express any gratitude to him during the meeting.
“Was that another mistake?” Mr Bove asked
Mr Pecker. Mr Pecker stuck to the account that he gave in court, adding: “I know what the truth is.”
Mr Trump faces 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection with hush money payments meant to stifle negative stories in the final days of the 2016 campaign. He denies any wrongdoing.