Pecker testified that during the 2016 election, after discussions with Trump and his attorney at the time, Michael Cohen, Trump spent $150,000 to squash a story from Karen McDougal, a Playboy model who alleges she had an affair with Trump while he was married. Pecker said on the stand Thursday that he was aware that hush money payments intended to influence an election — in coordination with a campaign — violated election laws. He also said Trump’s team never reimbursed him for the payment.
The hush money to McDougal is not part of the criminal allegations against Trump. But prosecutors seem to be using this testimony to show the jury that Pecker and Trump’s team falsified business records to hide the hush money payments to Stormy Daniels — the adult-film actress whose payments are at the center of the New York trial — because they knew those transactions violated election laws.