Ex-Enquirer publisher testifies in Trump inquiry
Pecker, appearing for 2nd time, is a key player in case
The former publisher of The National Enquirer testified Monday before the Manhattan grand jury hearing evidence about Donald Trump’s role in a hushmoney payment to a pornographic film actress, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
The publisher, David Pecker, also testified in January, soon after the grand jury was impaneled by the Manhattan district attorney, Alvin Bragg. The grand jury has heard from at least nine witnesses and is expected to vote on an indictment soon.
Pecker, who was seen leaving the building where the grand jury sits at about 3:30 p.m. Monday, was a key player in the hushmoney episode. He and the tabloid’s top editor helped broker the deal between the porn star, Stormy Daniels, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s fixer at the time.
Ever since Trump predicted his arrest a little more than a week ago, all eyes have turned to the grand jury, which operates in secret.
And while grand jurors could vote to indict the former president as soon as this week — in what would be the culmination of a nearly five-year investigation — the exact timing of any charges remains a mystery.
It is subject to the quirks of the grand jury process in Manhattan, which include scheduling conflicts and other potential interruptions.
This particular grand jury meets on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, though it typically has not heard evidence related to the Trump investigation on Thursdays. The panel need not meet each of those days, but only convenes when the Manhattan district attorney’s office summons the jurors.
The timing of an indictment might also depend on the jurors’ availability. Sixteen of the 23 grand jurors must be present to conduct any business (and a majority must vote to indict for the case to go forward). For prosecutors to seek a vote to indict, jurors in attendance that day must previously have heard all key witness testimony.
The prospect of an indictment has raised a number of questions about the contours of the potential case facing Trump, who would become the first former American president to be indicted.
Meanwhile, in a separate case in Atlanta, a Georgia judge on Monday ordered the Fulton County district attorney’s office to respond to a motion by Trump to throw out a report by a special grand jury that investigated attempts to interfere in the state’s 2020 presidential election.
The motion by Trump’s legal team also seeks to toss out all testimony from the inquiry and to bar Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis from continuing to investigate or prosecute Trump. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ordered Willis to respond by May 1 and to let him know whether an in-person hearing is needed to resolve any issues. A spokesperson for Willis said her office would reply through its court filings.
The filing is an effort by Trump to escape one of the multiple legal challenges he faces, including the state inquiry in New York into hush money payments to women who alleged sexual encounters with the former president as well as a pair of US Justice Department criminal investigations.
Bragg’s prosecutors are focused on the $130,000 payment to Daniels, who agreed to keep quiet about her story of an affair with Trump in exchange for the payoff.
In recent weeks, Bragg’s office signaled to Trump’s lawyers the former president could face criminal charges by offering him the chance to testify before the grand jury, people with knowledge of the matter have said. Such offers almost always indicate an indictment is near; it would be unusual for prosecutors to notify a potential defendant without ultimately seeking charges against him.