Former tabloid executive David Pecker, the first witness to take the stand in former President Donald Trump’s criminal case in Manhattan, smiled toward the defense table as he left the courtroom for a short break on Tuesday.
Pecker, the longtime publisher of The National Enquirer and a friend of the former president, was called to testify by prosecutors a part of Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office, who has accused Trump of falsifying business records in order to conceal an alleged hush money payment made to an adult film actress during the 2016 election.
While on stand Tuesday morning, Pecker detailed a meeting that he had with Trump and his former “fixer,” Michael Cohen, in 2015 to discuss how The National Enquirer could publish stories that benefited Trump’s first bid for the White House. Such stories would include positive articles about the former president or negative headlines attacking his opponents.
Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
As the courtroom headed for a short break just before 1 p.m. Tuesday, Pecker flashed a smile in Trump’s direction, who is required as a criminal defendant to attend all trial hearings unless permitted otherwise by Judge Juan Merchan.
This is a developing story. It will be updated as information becomes available.
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