The Notorious “catch and kill" campaign: Turning the National Enquirer into an arm of Trump's 2016 presidential campaign

[Dante]

you link says some guy was fined, not Trump, unlike Clinton.

Try again

Nope. The campaign was fined.

The FEC determined that the Trump campaign accepted close to 1,100 donations, which amounted to roughly $1.3 million, that violated one of a handful of campaign finance laws. In some cases, the Trump campaign accepted donations from groups that had not registered properly with the FEC.

 

[para bellum]

Pecker entered into a "non-prosecution" agreement, we do not know what was in it. The DOJ says he was the one that approached the Trump campaign, which makes sense since the National Enquirer is a tabloid that often publishes salacious stories about famous people. It is a natural place for someone like Daniels and Avenatti to peddle their stories.

Cohen will say whatever his plea agreement requires him to say- he will not say anything to jeopardize that deal.

Bragg has to convince the jury that Trump entered into the NDA knowing it was an illegal campaign contribution, and that the structure of the monthly payments was done to conceal said illegal campaign contribution.

If the jury believes that Trump entered the NDA (even partially) to protect his reputation, the case is dead.

 

[Dante]

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise - By Lachlan Cartwright

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

I pulled up the indictment and the statement of facts on my iPhone. At the center of the case is the accusation that Trump took part in a scheme to turn The National Enquirer and its sister publications into an arm of his 2016 presidential campaign. The documents detailed three “hush money” payments made to a series of individuals to guarantee their silence about potentially damaging stories in the months before the election. Because this was done with the goal of helping his election chances, the case implied, these payments amounted to a form of illegal, undisclosed campaign spending. And, Bragg argued, because Trump created paperwork to make the payments seem like regular legal expenses, that amounted to a criminal effort at a coverup. Trump has denied the charges against him.

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise (Published 2024)

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

www.nytimes.com

The documents rattled off a number of seedy stories that would have been right at home in a venerable supermarket tabloid, had they actually been published. The subjects were anonymized but recognizable to anyone who had followed the story of Trump’s entanglement with The Enquirer. His affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels, of course, was the heart of it. There was also Karen McDougal, the Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1998, whose affair with Trump was similarly made to disappear, the payments for the rights to her story made to look like fees for writing a fitness column and appearing on magazine covers. (Trump has denied involvement with both women.) There were others that were lesser known, too, like Dino Sajudin, a former Trump World Tower doorman who claimed that Trump had a love child with one of the building’s employees; the story was never published, and Sajudin was paid $30,000 to keep quiet about it.

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

web.archive.org

To me this is unbelievable. Before Mr. Trump's official entry into presidential politics - he becoming a politician - this kind of story that surfaced years ago, would've killed the career of an aspiring politician. But with Mr. Trump's troll-like campaign (proof/not opinion is his personal/family insults and attacks on a debate stage, breaking of norms, rules...unheard of before 2015), the bizarre became acceptable to small but then growing a segment of the population.

View attachment 928170

This is a story that needs telling.

To me this is unbelievable. Before Mr. Trump's official entry into presidential politics - he becoming a politician - this kind of story that surfaced years ago, would've killed the career of an aspiring politician. But with Mr. Trump's troll-like campaign (proof/not opinion is his personal/family insults and attacks on a debate stage, breaking of norms, rules...unheard of before 2015), the bizarre became acceptable to small but then growing a segment of the population.

 

[Dante]

Pecker entered into a "non-prosecution" agreement, we do not know what was in it. The DOJ says he was the one that approached the Trump campaign, which makes sense since the National Enquirer is a tabloid that often publishes salacious stories about famous people.

“I received a call from Michael Cohen telling me that the boss wanted to see me,” Pecker says.

When he was summoned to Trump Tower for a meeting in August of 2015, “I assumed I was going to be asked for something,” Pecker said, because that was typically why Cohen called.

 

[Dante]

EVERY statement you made is a lie. They are lies because Mueller did not say what you are claiming he said!

He never said "he didn't evaluate collusion".
He never characterized "a mountain of contacts".

He said he would leave the question of obstruction for Comey's firing open, for the DOJ to evaluate.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added.

“Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy."

 

[para bellum]

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added.

“Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy."

Not from his report, from a later interview.

The answer was "no".

 

[ThisIsMe]

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise - By Lachlan Cartwright

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

I pulled up the indictment and the statement of facts on my iPhone. At the center of the case is the accusation that Trump took part in a scheme to turn The National Enquirer and its sister publications into an arm of his 2016 presidential campaign. The documents detailed three “hush money” payments made to a series of individuals to guarantee their silence about potentially damaging stories in the months before the election. Because this was done with the goal of helping his election chances, the case implied, these payments amounted to a form of illegal, undisclosed campaign spending. And, Bragg argued, because Trump created paperwork to make the payments seem like regular legal expenses, that amounted to a criminal effort at a coverup. Trump has denied the charges against him.

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise (Published 2024)

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

www.nytimes.com

The documents rattled off a number of seedy stories that would have been right at home in a venerable supermarket tabloid, had they actually been published. The subjects were anonymized but recognizable to anyone who had followed the story of Trump’s entanglement with The Enquirer. His affair with the porn star Stormy Daniels, of course, was the heart of it. There was also Karen McDougal, the Playboy Playmate of the Year in 1998, whose affair with Trump was similarly made to disappear, the payments for the rights to her story made to look like fees for writing a fitness column and appearing on magazine covers. (Trump has denied involvement with both women.) There were others that were lesser known, too, like Dino Sajudin, a former Trump World Tower doorman who claimed that Trump had a love child with one of the building’s employees; the story was never published, and Sajudin was paid $30,000 to keep quiet about it.

What I Saw Working at The National Enquirer During Donald Trump’s Rise

Inside the notorious “catch and kill” campaign that now stands at the heart of the former president’s legal trial.

web.archive.org

To me this is unbelievable. Before Mr. Trump's official entry into presidential politics - he becoming a politician - this kind of story that surfaced years ago, would've killed the career of an aspiring politician. But with Mr. Trump's troll-like campaign (proof/not opinion is his personal/family insults and attacks on a debate stage, breaking of norms, rules...unheard of before 2015), the bizarre became acceptable to small but then growing a segment of the population.

View attachment 928170

This is a story that needs telling.

“And he would have gotten away with it if it hadn’t been for those meddling dems!”

 

[Dante]

Not from his report, from a later interview.

The answer was "no".

You have been caught lying again.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added

 

[Nostra]

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added.

“Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy."

And no criminal conspiracy charges were recommended, Halfwit.

 

[para bellum]

“I received a call from Michael Cohen telling me that the boss wanted to see me,” Pecker says.

When he was summoned to Trump Tower for a meeting in August of 2015, “I assumed I was going to be asked for something,” Pecker said, because that was typically why Cohen called.

This is how the DOJ stated it:

In August 2015, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Corporation-1, a media company that owns, among other things, a popular tabloid magazine (“Chairman-1” and “Magazine-1,” respectively”), in coordination with COHEN and one or more members of the campaign, offered to help deal with negative stories about Individual-1’s relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided. Chairman-1 agreed to keep COHEN apprised of any such negative stories.

Consistent with the agreement described above, Corporation-1 advised COHEN of negative stories during the course of the campaign, and COHEN, with the assistance of Corporation-1, was able to arrange for the purchase of two stories so as to suppress them and prevent them from influencing the election.

First, in June 2016, a model and actress (“Woman-1”) began attempting to sell her story of her alleged extramarital affair with Individual-1 that had taken place in 2006 and 2007, knowing the story would be of considerable value because of the election. Woman-1 retained an attorney (“Attorney-1”), who in turn contacted the editor-in-chief of Magazine-1 (“Editor-1”), and offered to sell Woman-1’s story to Magazine-1. Chairman-1 and Editor-1 informed COHEN of the story. At COHEN’s urging and subject to COHEN’s promise that Corporation-1 would be reimbursed, Editor-1 ultimately began negotiating for the purchase of the story.

--------------------------------

There is no mention of anyone "summoning" Pecker to Trump Tower in 2015. Pecker and Cohen got together and came up with the plan on their own.

 

[Dante]

And no criminal conspiracy charges were recommended, Halfwit.

Yep. But people in and around Trump's campaign got prosecuted for dealing with Russian agents.

We all know Trump was and probably still is a Russian Dupe.

Trump's campaign manager was sent to prison. That is a YUGE deal. Trump's personal lawyer and the CFO of his family business have been sent to prison.

 

[Dante]

This is how the DOJ stated it:

In August 2015, the Chairman and Chief Executive of Corporation-1, a media company that owns, among other things, a popular tabloid magazine (“Chairman-1” and “Magazine-1,” respectively”), in coordination with COHEN and one or more members of the campaign, offered to help deal with negative stories about Individual-1’s relationships with women by, among other things, assisting the campaign in identifying such stories so they could be purchased and their publication avoided. Chairman-1 agreed to keep COHEN apprised of any such negative stories.

Consistent with the agreement described above, Corporation-1 advised COHEN of negative stories during the course of the campaign, and COHEN, with the assistance of Corporation-1, was able to arrange for the purchase of two stories so as to suppress them and prevent them from influencing the election.

First, in June 2016, a model and actress (“Woman-1”) began attempting to sell her story of her alleged extramarital affair with Individual-1 that had taken place in 2006 and 2007, knowing the story would be of considerable value because of the election. Woman-1 retained an attorney (“Attorney-1”), who in turn contacted the editor-in-chief of Magazine-1 (“Editor-1”), and offered to sell Woman-1’s story to Magazine-1. Chairman-1 and Editor-1 informed COHEN of the story. At COHEN’s urging and subject to COHEN’s promise that Corporation-1 would be reimbursed, Editor-1 ultimately began negotiating for the purchase of the story.

--------------------------------

There is no mention of anyone "summoning" Pecker to Trump Tower in 2015. Pecker and Cohen got together and came up with the plan on their own.

In court and under oath, Pecker says he was summoned. Cohen backs him up. Trump the Nodfather's longtime consiglieri

the end

next

 

[para bellum]

You have been caught lying again.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added

No, you are the liar. Mueller never used the term "collusion" in his report. That characterization was always the one dems and media used.

Mueller said in his report there was no evidence of any US person "conspiring or coordinating" with Russia, which is exactly what I said.

The quote you replied with in post #188 was from a later interview- it was not part of his report, which was the subject of the discussion.

Your attempt to deflect is not unexpected.

 

[para bellum]

In court and under oath, Pecker says he was summoned. Cohen backs him up. Trump the Nodfather's longtime consiglieri

the end

next

Says you?

 

[Dante]

No, you are the liar. Mueller never used the term "collusion" in his report. That characterization was always the one dems and media used.

Mueller said in his report there was no evidence of any US person "conspiring or coordinating" with Russia, which is exactly what I said.

The quote you replied with in post #188 was from a later interview- it was not part of his report, which was what I was discussing.

Your attempt to deflect is not unexpected.

"And when Trump said "no collusion, no obstruction", Mueller refuted him." - Fort Fun Indiana

This started with your claim: He never said "he didn't evaluate collusion"

that's a lie

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added



Former special counsel Robert Mueller pushed back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s characterizations of his 22-month investigation, telling lawmakers on Wednesday that he did not evaluate “collusion” with the Russian government, and confirming that his report did not conclude that there was “no obstruction” of the probe.

“The president was not exculpated for the acts that he allegedly committed,” Mueller told the House judiciary committee, adding that Trump could theoretically be indicted after he leaves office.

“We did not address ‘collusion,’ which is not a legal term,” Mueller added. “Rather, we focused on whether the evidence was sufficient to charge any member of the campaign with taking part in a criminal conspiracy. It was not.”

 

[Dante]

Says you?

People under oath in a court of law. We do know some people around Trump love perjuring themselves, but they get caught and then have to fess up truths or pay huge consequences.

 

[para bellum]

Yep. But people in and around Trump's campaign got prosecuted for dealing with Russian agents.

False.

We all know Trump was and probably still is a Russian Dupe.

You wake up every morning knowing Trump is guilty of something, you just don;t know what it is.

It's been like this for 8+ years...

Trump's campaign manager was sent to prison. That is a YUGE deal. Trump's personal lawyer and the CFO of his family business have been sent to prison.

Manafort for mortgage fraud, unrelated to Trump.
Cohen for tax and bank fraud unrelated to Trump except he pled to the phony campaign finance charge so they could have something against Trump.
The CFO on executive compensation BS, that every big company executive gets away with.

They were all prosecuted because they were close to Trump, period.

 

[para bellum]

People under oath in a court of law. We do know some people around Trump love perjuring themselves, but they get caught and then have to fess up truths or pay huge consequences.

What people? Give us a name. Show us the transcript.

You are claiming to know Pecker's and Cohen's testimony, where did you come across these sworn statements?

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

LOL

It led to David Pecker testifying in court yesterday and today as a witness for the prosecution.

Threaten a guy with jail time, they'll confess all their non-crimes.

 

[Toddsterpatriot]

Michael Cohen couldn't give as much as he did and he ended up pleading guilty to criminal charges for it.

Yeah, that Cohen's a lawbreaker.
Lock him up!