Ex-National Enquirer Publisher Testifies Before Trump Grand Jury In N.Y. Again

Topline

Former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker testified Monday before a Manhattan grand jury investigating former President Donald Trump’s alleged hush money payment to a porn star, according to multiple reports—his second appearance in front of the panel as a vote on whether to indict the former president looms.

David Pecker sits for a portrait on March 22, 1995 in New York City. (Photo by Karjean Levine/Getty … [+] Images)

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Key Facts

News crews observed Pecker leaving the Manhattan District Attorney’s office Monday afternoon following his reported testimony to the grand jury.

Details of his testimony are not publicly known, but Pecker is a central figure in the investigation since he helped arrange a $130,000 payment former Trump fixer Michael Cohen sent pornographic actress Stormy Daniels in 2016 to keep her from disclosing an alleged 2006 affair she had with Trump—which he has denied.

Pecker allegedly arranged for the deal after he was approached with a chance to buy Daniels’ story and never publish it—a tabloid practice known as “catch and kill”—but declined due to the six-figure price.

Pecker was one of the first witnesses the grand jury called in January, shortly after it was impaneled.

What To Watch For

It remains unclear when the grand jury might vote on an indictment. The panel investigating Trump usually meets on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. Trump earlier predicted he would be arrested last Tuesday.

Key Background

The grand jury is in the final stages of a years-long investigation into Trump’s connection to the payment, and whether he may have broken the law. Legal scholars suggest there may be a case to indict Trump with a misdemeanor charge for falsifying business records—since Cohen was reimbursed for so-called legal services—but there could also be an effort to charge Trump with a felony. It’s speculated the payment may have amounted to an illegal campaign donation since it happened shortly before the 2016 election, but experts warn the case would be largely untested. Trump has repeatedly blasted the investigation as a politically motivated “witch hunt” and said Friday there could be “death & destruction” if he is charged. Cohen pleaded guilty to eight felony counts in 2018 related to the deal with Daniels, including a campaign finance charge.

Tangent

A non-hazardous white powder was found inside an envelope sent to the DA’s office on Friday, along with a letter making a death threat against DA Alvin Bragg. The discovery came just days after a bomb threat shut down the courthouse at 60 Centre Street just as a hearing was about to start in a $250 million lawsuit against Trump, though a court spokesman said there was no indication the bomb threat was related to the Trump case.