Days before Donald J. Trump became president in early 2017, a handful of advisers, officials and allies descended on his office at Trump Tower: the F.B.I.
The future president, triumphant, thanked Mr. Pecker for his service.
That remarkable scene was private until Thursday, when Mr. Pecker recounted it to jurors in Mr. Trump’s Manhattan criminal trial.
He described in vivid detail how Mr. Trump laid bare their effort to buy and bury damaging stories that could have derailed Mr. Trump’s campaign — a plot at the center of the case.
“He said, ‘I want to thank you for handling the McDougal situation,’ and then he also said, ‘I wanted to thank you for the doorman situation,’” Mr. Pecker testified Thursday.
Persons:
Donald J, Trump, —, David Pecker, Karen McDougal, Mr, Pecker, Trump’s, “, ‘, McDougal, ”
Organizations:
Trump, National Enquirer