Burying Trump stories was 'agreement among friends'

The underbelly of New York City's tabloid media manufacture was laid bare successful a Manhattan courtroom connected Tuesday.

A celebrated steadfast outlined a concealed program helium had with Donald Trump and his idiosyncratic lawyer Michael Cohen, calling it an "agreement among friends".

Prosecutors questioned erstwhile National Enquirer steadfast David Pecker for astir 3 hours.

He testified that the 3 worked to suppress antagonistic stories astir the campaigner during his 2016 campaign.

"'This could beryllium a precise large story, truthful I judge that it should beryllium removed from the market'," Mr Pecker said helium would counsel the erstwhile president astir sidesplitting definite articles.

Mr Pecker's grounds could beryllium captious for prosecutors arsenic they question to beryllium that Mr Trump tried to power the predetermination by quelling a communicative of an alleged affair.

Mr Trump has pleaded not blameworthy to 34 counts of falsifying concern records.

Prosecutors allege helium tried to screen up a $130,000 (£104,500) outgo to porn prima Stormy Daniels earlier helium won the contention for the White House backmost successful 2016.

Continuing his grounds from Monday arsenic the trial's archetypal witness, Mr Pecker said helium met Mr Trump successful the precocious 1980s and yet became bully friends with the erstwhile president.

The 2 had a mutually "beneficial" relationship, successful which Mr Trump would stock exclusive accusation with him, specified arsenic quality astir the contestants connected his world TV show, The Apprentice. This helped boost viewership for the amusement and the National Enquirer, Mr Pecker said.

Shortly aft Mr Trump launched his archetypal statesmanlike bid, Mr Pecker said helium met with Cohen and Mr Trump successful August 2015. There, Mr Pecker said helium agreed to suppress antagonistic articles astir the erstwhile president and beforehand affirmative stories astir him, a program Mr Pecker argued should beryllium kept "as quiescent arsenic possible".

The tabloid steadfast said helium besides agreed to notify Mr Trump astir stories concerning his romanticist affairs, arsenic helium was "an eligible bachelor" who "dated the astir beauteous women", according to Mr Pecker.

Mr Pecker elaborate 2 stories that the 3 men worked to kill.

One was from Dino Sajudin, a erstwhile Trump Tower doorman, who Mr Pecker said tried to merchantability an nonfiction successful 2015 astir an unsubstantiated rumour that Mr Trump erstwhile fathered a kid retired of wedlock.

After investigating, Mr Pecker said, helium recovered the assertion to beryllium "1,000% untrue".

But helium agreed with Cohen to wage Mr Sajudin $30,000 for perpetual rights to the story, due to the fact that it would person been "very embarrassing for the campaign" if it got out, Mr Pecker said.

Just earlier the extremity of the time successful court, prosecutors besides delved into a hush-money statement made to Playboy exemplary Karen McDougal. She claims she and Mr Trump had a semipermanent affair, though Mr Trump denies this.

Mr Pecker said helium advised the erstwhile president to bargain Ms McDougal's story, but Mr Trump was unsure.

"'Anytime you bash thing similar this, it ever gets out'," Mr Pecker claimed Mr Trump told him.

His institution yet purchased the communicative for $150,000.

Though prosecutors did not bring charges implicit either of these payments, the grounds from Tuesday could assistance overgarment a representation of the discourse starring up to Ms Daniels' payment.

Putting the tabloid steadfast up connected the basal archetypal successful the proceedings was a astute move, according to erstwhile Brooklyn authoritative Julie Rendelman.

"He provides the backdrop for however the full 'catch and kill' strategy came to be, the players involved, and the timing arsenic it related to Trump's campaign," she said.

Mr Pecker's grounds came aft the 2nd time of the hush-money proceedings got disconnected to a rocky commencement for the erstwhile president's ineligible team.

The time began with a proceeding connected whether comments Mr Trump made astir those progressive successful the lawsuit violated a gag order.

Sparks rapidly flew betwixt his pb lawyer, Todd Blanche, and Justice Juan Merchan.

After prosecutors alleged 10 of his societal media posts violated the order, Mr Blanche argued his lawsuit had a close to code "political attacks".

Judge Merchan was not buying it.

"You're losing each credibility with the court," helium told Mr Blanche, aft trying to get him to hurry up his arguments.

Trump is accused by the prosecution of routinely breaking a regularisation imposed by the justice that prevents him from publically attacking witnesses, prosecutors and relatives of tribunal staff.

"He knows astir the order, helium knows what he's not allowed to do, but helium does it anyway," authoritative Christopher Conroy told the court.

At involvement for Mr Trump is simply a $10,000 good and a informing that aboriginal violations of the bid could pb to his imprisonment.

The justice said helium would reserve making a ruling astir the violations for now.

But erstwhile national authoritative Neama Rahmani said the judge's reproach was a worrying motion for Mr Trump's team.

"They can't power their client, but erstwhile the justice tells a lawyer they are losing each their credibility, that's bad," Mr Rahmani said.

In the interruption that followed the hearing, Mr Trump took to his societal media tract Truth Social to criticise Judge Merchan and assertion that helium was being unfairly blocked from defending himself against attacks.