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NEWSLINE PAPER,- Defense attorneys are expected to contest David Pecker's testimony, a former National Enquirer publisher who described attempts to keep Trump from bad press during the 2016 election, as the hush money trial involving Donald Trump continues. In the middle of a week full of important legal developments for the former president, Peeker's return to the witness stand is a turning point in the case.
Revealed to jurors in Manhattan are details of Trump's purported participation in "catch and kill" tabloid tactics meant to stifle negative reports. In Washington, meantime, Trump's legal struggles may be significantly impacted by the Supreme Court's decision on his immunity from prosecution in the 2020 election interference case.
The first of Trump's four criminal prosecutions to go to trial, the New York trial centers on 34 felony charges of fabricating company records in connection with hush money payments made in the last days of the 2016 campaign to stifle unfavorable reports.
The prosecution argues that by buying the rights to damaging stories and stopping their publication, Trump used "catch-and-kill" tactics to influence the 2016 election. Peeker's testimony has revealed how the tabloid smears Trump's rivals and stifles negative articles about him.
Defense attorney Emil Bove tried to undermine Peeker's credibility during cross-examination by casting doubt on his memory of particular facts and motivations. Bove's line of inquiry points to the defense's plan to contend that personal motivations rather than electoral concerns drove Trump's interactions with Peeker.
Peeker recalled how, in order to stop the narrative from being released, he counseled Michael Cohen, Trump's attorney, to buy the rights to the account of porn star Stormy Daniels.
The jury's determination of whether Trump's acts were meant to enhance his own reputation or sway the election will determine the course of the trial. Everybody is watching the courtroom as the legal fight plays out, waiting for the decision that may have a significant impact on Trump's electoral destiny as well as the larger terrain of American politics.