Magazine paid $30,000 to silence rumour of Trump affair

A MAGAZINE paid Donald Trump’s doorman $30,000 (£21,000) to prevent him speaking publicly about a rumour that his boss had fathered a love child.

The publisher of National Enquirer, whose chief executive, David Pecker, is a friend of Mr Trump, has repeatedly been accused of buying rights to unfavourable stories about the US president in order to bury them.

Radar Online, a sister publication, reported that the magazine had paid Dino Sajudin, who worked at one of Mr Trump’s buildings, for the story but did not publish anything.

Mr Sajudin told the magazine that he had heard a rumour that Mr Trump fathered a child with an employee at Trump World Tower in New York.

The woman at the centre of the story, who has not been named, has denied the affair.

Dylan Howard, the magazine’s editor, said that he made the payment but the information “lacked any credibility”.

However, four journalists involved say that they were told by top editors to stop pursuing the story.

US media has reported on a “catch and kill” tactic at the magazine’s publisher, American Media Inc (AMI), where unfavourable stories were bought and never published.

Last year Ronan Farrow claimed that AMI colluded with Harvey Weinstein to silence his accusers by buying up rights to their stories and refusing to print them.

AMI also bought the rights to a story from Karen Mcdougal, a former Playboy model who claimed that she had an affair with Mr Trump, shortly before the election in 2016.

The story was never published. Mr Trump has denied the affair.

The company has previously said: “The suggestion that AMI holds any influence over the President of the United States, while flattering, is laughable.” The White House has not responded to requests for comment.