David Pecker Testifies He Spoke With Sarah Sanders and Hope Hicks About Extending Hush Money Payments After Trump Was Elected
Marion Curtis via AP, File.
Former tabloid publisher David Pecker testified Thursday that he consulted with top Trump White House officials when deciding whether to extend the hush money contract with former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal.
Pecker testified that he offered McDougal a two-year $150,000 contract in 2016 from AMI, the parent company of the National Enquirer, to help “restart her career.” In exchange for her silence on an alleged affair with Donald Trump, McDougal would get to write articles for AMI’s magazines and appear as a red carpet event anchor for Radar Magazine.
MSNBC’s Vaughn Hillyard reported on a conversation about the contract that Pecker had with Trump in 2018.
Karen McDougal did a sit-down interview with CNN’s Anderson Cooper. After that interview aired, Donald Trump, David Pecker is testifying to, angrily called up David Pecker about how this happened, because he thought that AMI had an agreement with Karen McDougal for her not to be able to share her story anywhere outside of the National Enquirer and its other entities.
And that’s when David Pecker had informed him that, look, a couple of months ago we had conversations about Karen McDougal’s contract that initially it was just six months, and here was talk that included even Hope Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders — because this was during the White House years — about whether to extend Karen McDougal’s contract. And Trump at one point, David Pecker reminded him, Donald Trump, according Pecker told him, “It’s your business.” And at that point, he lets the contract run out. So, what did Karen McDougal do? She went and did a sit-down interview with Anderson Cooper.
CNN’s Kaitlan Collins tweeted Thursday, “Umm. David Pecker testifies that he had a joint call with Hope Hicks and Sarah Huckabee Sanders — taxpayer funded WH officials, at the time — about whether Karen McDougal’s contract should be extended. ‘Both of them said that they thought it was a good idea,’ Pecker said.”
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) April 25, 2024
At the time, Hope Hicks served as White House director of strategic communications. Huckabee Sanders was acting press secretary, and is currently the Governor of Arkansas.
Trump has denied having an affair with McDougal. Prosecutors said in court filings that testimony about the attempt to pay off McDougal “would help establish a pattern of payments.”
Trump is being tried on 34 felony counts of business fraud for allegedly covering up a $130,000 payment to adult actress Stormy Daniels for her silence over an alleged affair. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
Watch the clip above via MSNBC.
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