New development in the 'hush money' trial against Trump!

Former US President Donald Trump appeared once again before the Manhattan Criminal Court in New York as part of the trial in which he is accused of paying "hush money" to adult film actress Stormy Daniels during the 2016 presidential election.

The hearing continued with the cross-examination of David Pecker, who was the publisher of the National Enquirer magazine before the 2016 elections. Confirming that he was a shareholder in American Media Inc. (AMI), the company that owns the National Enquirer, upon a question from Trump's defense team, Pecker answered "Yes, that was the case" to the question, "Part of AMI's business model was to buy stories, correct?"

Stating that he intentionally did not publish some of the purchased news stories on the grounds that they could negatively affect the lives of influential people, Pecker said "That is correct" in response to the question of "whether there were cases where AMI bought a story to use as leverage against a celebrity."

"TRUMP CALLED ME"

Pecker, who said in previous hearings that the magazine bought and did not publish stories that could harm Trump's election campaign at the time, stated that after Trump became a presidential candidate, he called him and said he was worried that former Playboy magazine model Karen McDougal's "affair" allegations would harm his campaign. Recounting that he told Trump, "I think you should buy the story and take it off the market" regarding the story of McDougal, who claimed to have had an affair with Trump between 2006 and 2007, Pecker admitted that he was worried about whether a potential payment would violate election laws. Stating that the magazine paid $150,000 for McDougal's story but did not receive payment from Trump for it, Pecker said they did not publish the story to avoid harming Trump and his election campaign, even though they believed it to be true.

TRUMP: THESE SHOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED

In a statement he made after the hearing ended, Trump said that what happened in the courtroom was "breathtaking." Reiterating his criticisms of the judicial process, Trump used the expressions, "Open your eyes, we cannot let this continue to happen to our country." Referring to the case, Trump said, "None of this should have happened."

COULD FACE UP TO 4 YEARS IN PRISON

The trial, in which former US President Donald Trump is accused of paying "hush money" to adult film actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election and falsifying official records to cover up the payment, began last week. In previous hearings of the case, also known publicly as the "hush money" trial, Trump's request for the judge to recuse himself was denied, while Prosecutor Joshua Steinglass requested that Trump be fined for violating the previously imposed gag order. Additionally, the selection of the 12-person jury had been completed. Finally, the hearing of witnesses had begun. The case, which is being closely followed by the public, is significant as it marks the first time in US history that a former US President has been tried in a criminal case. It is stated that Trump could face up to 4 years in prison at the end of the trial.

News Source: İHA