NEW YORK — Former tabloid executive David Pecker testified he wanted nothing to do with porn star Stormy Daniels’ tale of a sexual encounter with Donald Trump when the real estate mogul was running for president in 2016.
But Mr. Pecker, who ran the National Enquirer, said Friday that he made sure to tell Michael Cohen, Mr. Trump’s lawyer, about the story so he could buy it on his own.
“I don’t want to be involved with it, my suggestion to you is, you should buy the story,” Mr. Pecker testified in Mr. Trump’s hush-money trial.
“If you don’t, it’s going to be sold to another media outlet,” Mr. Pecker remembered saying.
Mr. Pecker had received a tip about the story, in which Ms. Daniels claimed to have had a sexual encounter with Mr. Trump in 2006. Mr. Trump denies it occurred.
Mr. Pecker, though, was fed up after shelling out $30,000 to a doorman and $150,000 to Playboy model Karen McDougal to get other stories related to Mr. Trump. That’s why he told Mr. Cohen to handle the Daniels story on behalf of Mr. Trump.
“You were still going to tell Michael Cohen about it so the campaign could quash it,” prosecutor Joshua Steinglass said.
Mr. Pecker said that was correct.
Prosecutors say Mr. Trump made a $130,000 payment to Ms. Daniels through Mr. Cohen and criminally concealed it with a series of checks and business entries that misled banks and triggered election and tax offenses.
Mr. Trump has pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business records and says the case is designed to thwart his presidential campaign.