Former "National Enquirer" executive David Pecker took the witness stand for a second time on Tuesday to testify about his relationship with former President Donald Trump and detail the pair's alleged business arrangements.
Pecker, 72, is at the center of an alleged criminal conspiracy involving Trump, his former lawyer Michael Cohen and adult film actress Stormy Daniels. Pecker's tabloid allegedly engaged in "catch and kill" tactics on the then-presidential candidate's behalf.
Prosecutors allege that Trump associate Michael Cohen paid the "National Enquirer'' to buy a story from Daniels - who alleged that she had an affair with Trump. The former president was charged with 34 felonies for allegedly reimbursing Cohen for the hush money.
On Monday, Pecker testified in detail about the tabloid's business practices, including so-called "checkbook journalism" - which is the practice of paying money to sources for stories.
Pecker's Tuesday testimony went into more specific detail about the alleged arrangement, that is the crux of the prosecution's argument.
Here are major details from Pecker's testimony:
Pecker's History with Trump: The tabloid executive testified that he first met Trump in the 1980s and that the pair had a "great relationship." Trump introduced Pecker to people in New York and gave him advice. Pecker said he first killed a story on Trump's behalf, when his outlet paid $30,000 to a doorman who falsely claimed that Trump fathered a child with an affair partner.
Pecker also said that Trump was a "micromanager" when it came to his business dealings.
2015 Trump Tower Meeting: Pecker told the courtroom that he met with Trump in the fledgling months of his campaign. In August 2015, Pecker attended a meeting at Trump Tower with Cohen and the then-candidate. Pecker alleges that the men had a verbal agreement that Cohen would be informed "about women selling stories" - which facilitated Cohen buying and killing the women's accounts.
The National Enquirer Allegedly Aiding the Campaign: After their initial meeting, Pecker alleges that he and Cohen would work together to promote Trump's campaign through the magazine. Pecker claims that he would contact Cohen directly when he learned of negative stories about the Trumps and also showed Cohen articles before publication. The prosecution entered several "National Enquirer" articles into evidence that either praised Trump or criticized his opponents.
Trump and Cohen Allegedly Contacted Pecker about Karen McDougal: Pecker testified that Cohen seemed to be "under pressure" due to a story about former Playboy model Karen McDougal's alleged affair with Trump. The tabloid's editor-in-chief planned to interview McDougal to vet her story, which Cohen immediately characterized as "absolutely not true."
Cohen allegedly made repeated phone calls to Pecker, prompting Pecker to tell Cohen to "relax." At one point, Cohen suggested the pair stop talking on the landline and instead switch to the encrypted Signal app.
"Michael was very agitated," Pecker testified. "It looked like he was getting a lot of pressure to get the answer like right away."
In addition to his normal communication with Cohen, Pecker alleges that he was directly contacted by Trump, following the interview.
