Ex-National Enquirer Confirms "Catch and Kill" Scheme For Trump

David Pecker is breaking his silence.

Pecker alerted the Trump camp to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ decision to go public with her affair with Trump, which was then captured in a $130,000 hush payment. I Photo: Jonathan Viscott, WeHoCity Flickr

The former National Enquirer boss on Monday became the first witness called to testify in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial and offered illuminating details into how the infamous tabloid operated and conducted so-called “catch and kill” operations, reported Oliver Darcy for CNN.

“We used checkbook journalism,” Pecker candidly confessed, “and we paid for stories.” It was the first time that Pecker has spoken publicly about the secret practice — buying exclusive rights to a story for the express purpose of never publishing the information — since the tactic gained widespread notoriety during the 2016 presidential election.

The Wall Street Journal, which led the way in reporting on the story, first broke the news in November 2016 — just days before the election — that Enquirer-parent American Media Inc. had paid former Playboy model Karen McDougal $150,000 for the rights to a story about an affair she alleged with Trump.

Pecker also alerted the Trump camp to adult film star Stormy Daniels’ decision to go public with her affair with Trump, which was then captured in a $130,000 hush payment.

While The Journal and others reported heavily on how Pecker shielded Trump from the embarrassing affairs by purchasing the rights to damaging stories and then killing them, Pecker has never spoken a word about it — until now.

During his brief time on the witness stand, Pecker confirmed a number of details that news organizations had previously reported about his operation.