Trump Attorney Attempts to Poke Holes in Witness Credibility as Bragg Trial Hits Day 8
Former President Donald Trump’s attorney attempted to poke holes Friday in the credibility of the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s first witness, former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, as the first full week of testimony came to a close.
Defense attorney Emil Bove resumed his cross-examination of Pecker Friday morning, continuing to drive home the point that purchasing stories is “standard operating procedure” for Pecker’s tabloid while working to draw out inconsistencies in his testimony. Some jabs landed, some seemed to fall flat: the exchange was nevertheless the most heated in a tedious day of laying the groundwork on both sides, which saw testimony from two new witnesses.
“I’ve been truthful to the best of my recollection,” Pecker told Bove at the end of cross-examination, where Bove had whipped back and forth between various topics trying to highlight contradictions.
Some points of contention were relatively small, like whether Trump had thanked him during a 2017 meeting at Trump Tower “handling” the Karen McDougal and doorman stories. Others of greater consequence, like whether American Media’s conciliation agreement with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) in 2021 included an admission of a campaign finance violation.
“Was that another mistake?” Bove pressed Pecker on the former point. Pecker declined to recant his earlier testimony. (Read more from “Trump Attorney Attempts to Poke Holes in Witness Credibility as Bragg Trial Hits Day 8” HERE)
