Before a possible indictment against ex-US President Donald Trump in connection with hush money payments to former porn actress Stormy Daniels and model Karen McDougal, a witness testified again in the case. According to consistent media reports, David Pecker, former chairman of the media company American Media Inc. (AMI), which publishes the tabloid "National Enquirer", appeared before the so-called grand jury in New York on Monday.
Pecker played a key role in matching one of Daniels' attorneys with Trump's then-attorney, Michael Cohen, just weeks before the 2016 election. The 44-year-old, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claims she had sex with Trump in 2006, when Trump was already married to Melania, which the ex-president denies. According to court documents, Daniels contacted AMI through a lawyer in October 2016 and stated that she was ready to go public with her alleged affair.
In August 2016, the National Enquirer bought the rights to a story about a woman who claimed to have had a relationship with Trump, according to court filings, but the paper never published it. The company later admitted that the purchase was aimed at suppressing the story in order to improve Trump's election chances.
When Daniels still hadn't received any money less than two weeks before the 2020 election, she threatened to have her story published elsewhere, US broadcaster CNN reports, citing court documents. Packer told Cohen at the time that the deal had to go through "or it could look really bad for everyone." Cohen then agreed to complete the agreement and said he paid Daniels $130,000 on behalf of Trump.
According to the US news channel CNN, Pecker had already met with prosecutors from the Manhattan District Attorney's Office in 2019 and in January of this year as part of the investigation into the hush money payments. Pecker and another associate were granted immunity as part of the federal investigation in exchange for testifying before the grand jury.
New York prosecutor Alvin Bragg is investigating Trump's payments to Daniels and McDougal - charges appear likely. The investigators are also concerned with the question of whether the ex-president may have violated campaign finance laws by making the payment. The 23-member grand jury will decide whether to press charges after the prosecutor has presented evidence.
It is still unclear when the grand jury will vote on an indictment. Most observers assume that this is imminent. The process could theoretically drag on for weeks.
Sources: CNN, CBS, DPA
