The inclusion of a book by a former Trump Tower doorman in a list of witness testimony presented to the grand jury in Donald Trump’s criminal investigation has prompted questions about its significance in the prosecution’s case.
In April, Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in connection to alleged hush money payments made during the 2016 election campaign. He is the first former president to face criminal charges in U.S. history.
It follows an investigation by the Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg over Trump’s alleged involvement in payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by his then-lawyer Michael Cohen.
Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, claimed to have been paid $130,000 by Cohen to stay quiet about an alleged affair with Trump in 2006. Cohen has previously said he was reimbursed by Trump.
Trump has denied having sexual relations with Daniels along with any financial wrongdoing.
The case against Trump claims that he used payments through associates to individuals who could have hurt his electoral chances during the 2016 presidential election and did not properly disclose the payments in election filings or tax returns.
A list of publications released on Friday includes books by Cohen, Daniels and several by Trump himself.
However, it also includes Trump Doorman, a 2019 book written by Dino Sajudin, who according to Bragg’s statement of facts in the case against Trump was paid $30,000 by American Media Inc. (AMI) for the exclusive rights.
In the book, Sajudin alleged that Trump had a child out of wedlock with a concierge at Trump Tower—a claim both the woman and Trump have denied to various outlets.
According to Bragg, in November 2015, David Pecker, then AMI’s CEO, learned that Sajudin was attempting to sell the information, and at his direction, the company signed an agreement that led to the payment.
“AMI falsely characterized this payment in AMI’s books and records, including in its general ledger,” Bragg alleged. He added that after AMI concluded that the story was untrue, an unnamed lawyer “instructed” Pecker not to release Sajudin from the agreement until after the election.
“I don’t know why Mr. Sajudin’s book is on the Manhattan DA’s discovery list, but I sure would like to find out,” Lisa Rubin, a former lawyer and legal analyst for MSNBC, tweeted, noting that the book “really popped [out] for me.”
“Watch this space,” she added.
While the allegations contained in the book are by both Bragg’s and Trump’s account false, the payment of $30,000 by AMI could be used by the prosecution in an attempt to demonstrate a policy of suppressing stories that may have been damaging to Trump during his first White House bid—a practice known as “catch and kill”—regardless of their veracity.
Pecker, who was until August 2020 publisher of various titles including National Enquirer, has been described as a friend and ally of Trump.
In 2018, AMI admitted to paying Karen McDougal, a former Playboy model, $150,000 to remain quiet about an affair with Trump—a decision it said was made “in concert” with Trump’s presidential campaign, Reuters reported. Cohen also pleaded guilty to his role in this payment.
Newsweek approached Pecker via email and the office of the Manhattan district attorney via direct message for comment on Monday.
At a hearing in Manhattan on May 23, Judge Juan Merchan set a date of March 25 next year for the start of the criminal trial, with a further hearing to take place in October this year.