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April 24, 2024

National Enquirer Publisher Admits to "Catch and Kill" Effort to Help Trump Win in 2016
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At Donald Trump's criminal trial, the former publisher of the National
Enquirer, David Pecker, had told jurors that he helped Trump's 2016
campaign by killing stories about Trump's extramarital affairs while
running fake stories about Trump's opponents. Pecker testified that he
began helping Trump after a meeting at Trump Tower in 2015 where the
future president asked him to "help the campaign." Pecker went on to
describe the paper's so-called catch-and-kill policy that involved
buying then burying negative articles about Trump. Pecker said, "I said
I would be your eyes and ears." Pecker also admitted the National
Enquirer made up a story attacking Trump's rival Ted Cruz by falsely
linking Cruz's Cuban-born father to Lee Harvey Oswald and the Kennedy
assassination.

Meanwhile, the judge presiding over Trump's trial, Juan Merchan, is
expected to rule soon on whether to hold Trump in contempt of court for
attacking witnesses and jurors. On Tuesday, Merchan lashed out at
Trump's lawyer, saying, "You're losing all credibility with the court."


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