The former publisher of the supermarket tabloid National Enquirer is back on the stand Friday to face questioning from Donald Trump's defense lawyers about his testimony that he used the publication to protect the former president from negative stories before the 2016 presidential election.
David Pecker testified this week in criminal court in Manhattan about how he used a "catch and kill" scheme, paying for a story and then not publishing it, to bury allegations from former Playboy Playmate Karen McDougal that she had an affair with Trump.
Pecker said on the stand that he worked in coordination with Trump's then-fixer, Michael Cohen, to pay McDougal $150,000 for her story with the intention of never publishing it.
"I thought it would be very embarrassing to himself and to his campaign," Pecker, 72, told the court.
Trump is facing 34 felony counts for falsifying business records to cover up a $130,000 payment to former porn star Stormy Daniels just weeks ahead of the 2016 presidential election to buy her silence about a sexual affair she allegedly had with the former president.
The defense's cross examination of Pecker began Thursday afternoon. Trump lawyer Emil Bove grilled Pecker over his memory of certain events to try to discredit his recollection of dealings with Trump and Cohen.
"There are times that there are gaps in your memory that you have to fill in with what you assume happened based on other events," Bove said to Pecker.
Bove also asked Pecker about the origins of "catch and kill."
"Before this investigation started, you had never heard the phrase 'catch-and-kill,' isn't that correct?" Bove asked, according to the Associated Press.
"Yes," Pecker replied.
"The first time you heard the phrase, you heard it from a prosecutor," Bove asked.
"That's correct," Pecker said.
