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Trump’s legal team grills lead witness
DONALD Trump’s defence team in his hush money case sought to undermine the evidence of the prosecution’s lead witness yesterday. David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer, returned to the witness box for a fourth day as defence lawyers tried to poke holes in his evidence about his tabloid’s efforts to protect Trump from potentially damaging stories using a
“catch- and- kill” scheme.
Pecker’s evidence is crucial for prosecutors, who allege the effort was a way to illegally influence the 2016 election.
Under cross- examination, Trump’s lawyers are trying to show that any dealings Trump had with Pecker were intended to protect Trump, his reputation and his family – not his campaign.
Pecker has said that 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, Pecker acknowledged that there was no mention at that meeting of the term “catch- and- kill”, which describes the practice of tabloids purchasing the rights to stories so they never see the light of day.
Nor was there discussion at the meeting of any “financial dimension”, such as the National
Enquirer paying people on Trump’s behalf for the rights to their stories, Pecker said.
Trump denies any wrongdoing. Before entering the courtroom yesterday, Trump told reporters that he believed he previous day’s proceedings had went “very well” for the defence, adding that “the case should be over”.