David Pecker, the former publisher of the National Enquirer tabloid, was the first witness to testify in former President Donald Trump‘s criminal trial in Manhattan where Trump faces 34 felony counts for allegedly falsifying business records to cover up payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels prior to the 2016 presidential election.
Pecker testified that while he was publisher of the National Enquirer he practiced “catch and kill” tactics —buying the exclusive rights to stories in order to quash them — in order to protect Trump.
Pecker also testified that he published unflattering stories targeting Trump’s rivals at the time, including his 2016 GOP presidential hopefuls Ben Carson and Ted Cruz and his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.
#HillaryClinton deserves an apology #TrumpTrials #NationalEnquirer #davidpecker #fraud pic.twitter.com/WZT4q79QMl
— ArtisteArtist (@ArtisteArt17128) April 23, 2024
Former New York Assistant Attorney General Tristan Snell — who successfully prosecuted the now defunct Trump University for fraud — noted that Carson, Cruz and Hillary Clinton “could have defamation claims against Trump and the Enquirer now.”
[Note: In 2011, the New York Attorney General’s office opened an investigation into Trump University for illegal business practices and filed a lawsuit against the business in 2013. Then-Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, said: “We started looking at Trump University and discovered that it was a classic bait-and-switch scheme. It was a scam, starting with the fact that it was not a university.”]
Hillary Clinton. Ben Carson. Ted Cruz.
All could have defamation claims against Trump and the Enquirer now
How? Weren’t the defamatory statements 7-9 yrs ago?
The “discovery rule” — a statute of limitations clock does not start until plaintiffs discovered their claims
Oops.
— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) April 24, 2024
Snell, who is the author of the recently released book Taking Down Trump: 12 Rules for Prosecuting Donald Trump by Someone Who Did It Successfully, added, “How? Weren’t the defamatory statements 7-9 yrs ago? The ‘discovery rule’ — a statute of limitations clock does not start until plaintiffs discovered their claims Oops.”