Why is a former gambling casino owner on trial for $130,000 paid to Stormy Daniels?
At an August 2015 meeting, Trump spoke with #David#Pecker, then-CEO of American Media, the parent company of tabloid the #National#Enquirer.
Pecker told Trump he could be the “eyes and ears” for Trump’s presidential campaign, on the lookout for any salacious stories people were telling about him. Prosecutors would later call this strategy a “catch and kill” scheme.
As Trump’s campaign began to grow, Pecker learned about an adult film actor who said she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, the year after he married Melania, and was willing to go public with her story.
With the help of his former fixer #Michael#Cohen, Trump would allegedly pay Stormy Daniels $130,000 in 2016 to keep quiet about her story.
After Trump became president, prosecutors say, he started reimbursing Cohen for the payment, which he would record in his financial records as legal fees to Cohen.
These payments could land Trump in prison. Prosecutors allege that Trump broke the law by falsifying these business records to hide illegal hush-money payments and protect Trump’s chances during the presidential election